EXCLUSIVE: The One Secret Mob 'Puppet' Frank Sinatra Didn't Want the World To Know — How His Success Hinged on Syphilis-Riddled Mobster Who Made 'Offer No-One Could Refuse'
Frank Sinatra's godfather, Willie Moretti, was the singer's biggest link to organized crime.
April 7 2025, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Frank Sinatra's ties to the mob were no secret, but his family's shady connections to organized crime have largely remained hidden – until now.
RadarOnline.com can reveal exclusive insight from attorney Chris Franzblau, who detailed how Ol' Blue Eyes' most "significant" link was through his godfather, Willie Moretti – who saved the singer from a brutal contract before his "pre-planned" death.
In a new book, attorney Chris Franzblau recalls Sinatra's relationship with Moretti and how it inspired a scene from 'The Godfather.'
In The Last Mob Lawyer: True Stories from the Man Who Defended Some of the Biggest Names in Organized Crime, author Bruce Nagel shares gripping tales based on stories from Franzblau.
Franzblau, 93, was a prominent attorney who gained some notoriety for representing high-profile figures – particularly those with ties to organized crime.
A hitman was said to have been ordered to kill Moretti after he contracted syphilis.
The book gives a behind-the-scenes look into Sinatra's relationship with Moretti, the former underboss of the Genovese crime family and cousin to ex-mob boss Frank Castello.
In fact, a scene from the 1972 mobster film The Godfather is based on a situation that once happened between Moretti and Sinatra – where Michael explains how his father sent Luca Brasi to a bandleader to free Johnny Fontaine from his contract.
Similarly, Moretti got his godson out of his contract with Tommy Dorsey by shoving a gun down Dorsey's throat, Franzblau recalled.
Moretti told a gagging Dorsey: "I'm giving you one dollar to release Frank from his contract. Take it," the author wrote.
Through Franzblau's eyes, Nagel then went into detail about Moretti's character, delving into how he was "nothing if not a tough negotiator."
He added: "Willie Moretti had many celebrity friends in Sinatra’s social circle, including Dean Martin and JerryLewis.
"In fact, Willie Moretti was supposed to have lunch with Lewis at Joe’s Elbow Room in CliffsidePark, New Jersey, on the very day he was murdered by a mob hitman."
The author recalled how Moretti's death story began when he contracted syphilis, which ended up becoming a massive problem for the once-feared gangster.
The disease started to affect his brain, impairing his judgment and making him increasingly erratic.
Nagel wrote: "And if there’s one thing the mob doesn’t like, it’s an impaired, unpredictable mind filled with decades of mob secrets.
"Afraid he'd unburden himself to the authorities, bosses ordered a hit on Moretti."
Sinatra's godfather was the one who got him out of a binding contract with Tommy Dorsey.
Feared hitman Albert Anastasia of Murder, Inc. is widely believed to be the one who took out Sinatra's godfather.
The author noted: "It was such a high-profile hit, I've always been surprised that the press, which loved to theorize about Frank Sinatra’s mob connections, never reported this, his most significant one."
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Later on, Franzblau recalled how he only ever got to meet Sinatra through a dressing room door at one of the singer's Las Vegas shows.
The lawyer headed backstage alongside Tony Pro to meet Sinatra, but he ended up only being able to hear his voice after getting rejected by the performer's bodyguard.
According to the author, word later got out about how Sinatra was in talks to buy a Vegas casino and was under scrutiny by the Gambling Control Commission.
With an investigation looming, Sinatra "couldn't afford to be seen laughing it up with known mobsters such as Tony Pro.
"That would have just brought more scrutiny and doubts to the deal Sinatra was trying to make in town."
Elsewhere in Franzblau and Nagel's book, the pair dive into the lawyer's experiences working with more of the biggest names in the criminal network – including Pro and Jimmy Hoffa.
The attorney even delves into Hoffa's explosive showdown with RFK, who – according to Franzblau – hated each other equally.
