Sit Down with Michael Franzese

Former Mob Boss Ranks the Top 10 Richest Mobsters Ever

September 25, 2026·32 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

📲 Text me your pick for top 10 richest mobsters: https://my.community.com/michaelfranzese (424) 325 0921 ✅ Take Control of Your Money and claim $10 in US Stablecoin (USD₮)! Download now at http://wallet.rumble.com/InnerCircle and use the code InnerCircle10. 🍷 Have you tried my wine yet?: https://yt.franzesewine.com/ In 1986, Fortune magazine put out a list of the 50 biggest mafia bosses in America — a Fortune 500 for my world. I was number 18. The youngest man on the list. I found out about it sitting in a federal prison in Arizona, when the lieutenant called me into his office and locked me down for a week over it. Here’s the thing, people — they got it wrong. Those were journalists guessing from the outside. They never saw the cash. They didn’t know who was kicking up to who. And in our world, the smartest earners were invisible on purpose. So today you’re getting the list they couldn’t write: the 10 richest mobsters of all time, ranked by a guy who was on the inside, knew how the money actually moved, and made the list himself. Capone, Lansky, Luciano, Costello, Carlo Gambino, Fat Tony, Marcello, Trafficante, Rothstein and Gotti — and I’ll tell you my number one and exactly why it’s not close. And yes, I answer the question you’re all going to ask: where would I rank on that list, and what it really cost me. Tell me in the comments who I got wrong — if somebody makes a good enough case, we’ll do a part two. Former Mob Boss Ranks the Top 10 Richest Mobsters Ever 00:00 The List Fortune Magazine Couldn't Write 00:52 1986 — They Locked Me Down Over That Article 02:18 I Was #18. The Youngest Man on the List. 02:44 Why They Got It Wrong 03:30 My Father's Reaction 05:08 Nobody Really Knows the Numbers — Here's Why 06:55 Arnold Rothstein — He Made Crime a Business 07:46 Al Capone — $100 Million in the 1920s 08:46 Lucky Luciano — The Architect 10:02 Meyer Lansky — "Bigger Than U.S. Steel" 11:02 Frank Costello — The One I Modeled Myself After 12:14 Carlo Gambino — The Richest Man You Never Heard About 13:34 Fat Tony Salerno — Fortune Said #1. I Disagree. 16:33 "Give These Mamalukes a Job" — My Day With Fat Tony 19:10 Carlos Marcello — Half of Louisiana Answered to Him 20:06 Santo Trafficante — The Mob's Foreign Minister 21:01 John Gotti — The Flash Is What Kills You 22:33 "What About You, Michael?" 23:06 The Jet, the Helicopter & the Houses 24:07 What It Actually Cost Me 26:15 My #1 — And It's Not Close 28:12 My #2 30:02 The Only Wealth That Lasts #Mafia #AlCapone #MeyerLansky #JohnGotti #MichaelFranzese #Mob #Top10 Backbone Media Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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