Part 2/6:
Sonny Franzese's saga begins in the tumultuous times of the early 1900s with his grandfather, Carmine Franzese, nicknamed "Tooty the Lion." A revered man in Brooklyn who owned a bakery, Tooty chose a life outside organized crime, unlike his son, Sonny, who was born in Italy in 1917. With a large family of 19 siblings, Sonny’s upbringing was surrounded by the undercurrents of mafia life. Though his grandfather had tried to steer him away from that life, Sonny became a figure of immense respect and influence within the organization.