Steven Franse
Steven Franse (October 13, 1902 – June 18, 1953) was a New York mobster with the Genovese crime family who was a close associate of mob bosses Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Vito Genovese.
Franse was born in Istria and grew up in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, before moving to New York in 1934, settling in the East Harlem section of Manhattan.
When Genovese fled to Italy in 1937 to escape a murder indictment, he left Franse to watch his business interests. Franse was a partner with Genovese in some nightclubs in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan. From 1950 - 1953, Franse operated Club 82 at 82 East 4th Street, NY, NY. [1] Franse previously operated a gay-friendly cabaret called Club 181 beneath the Yiddish Arts Theatre at 2nd and 12th until he lost his liquor license[2] His nightclub operations were jointly owned with Anna Genovese and John Boggiano. "In December 1953, John G. Masoni, Sam Lombardo, and John Boggiano bought the Palm Beach Kennel Club. Boggiano was a partner in a nightclub with one Stephen Franse, who was found beaten and strangled to death, June 19, 1953, in a gangland-style execution. The murder is still unsolved." -pg.42, Congressional Record,1970c[3]In addition, Genovese asked Franse to watch over his wife, Anna. Franse eventually became partners with Anna in some legitimate business interests. In 1952, Anna sued for divorce. In court, she embarrassed Genovese by revealing information about his legal and illegal business interests. A furious Genovese blamed Franse for his wife’s defection.
Genovese tasked one of his lieutenants, Anthony Strollo, to set up the murder. In turn, Bender ordered future mob witness Joseph Valachi to run the hit. Bender told Valachi that Franse had become an informer (which was not true). On June 18, 1953, Valachi lured Franse to Valachi's restaurant in the Bronx. Franse was strangled to death by Pasquale Pagano and his nephew Fiore Siano.
In popular culture[edit]
The incident and subsequent murder of Franse was depicted in the movie adaptation of The Valachi Papers, but is shown as happening to Joe Valachi's friend Dominick "The Gap" Petrilli and not Franse, as the writer of the movie had decided to use the old movie shorthand of creating a composite character.
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External links[edit]
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