Former Mob Boss Michael Franzese to speak at AFCA convention.

Michael Franzese will speak on the ills of gambling to convention-goers in Orlando in 2004.

He has been called the New York Mob's "Long Island Don" and "The Prince of the Mafia." Franzese, once the Mafia's youngest and most financially powerful superstar, was the primary target of a 14-agency government task force. His operations in gambling, loan sharking and corporate crime made him the target of former New York federal prosecutor and mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

After avoiding the law and prison, Franzese finally decided to plead guilty to a racketeering indictment and accept a 10-year prison sentence.

After his sentence, Franzese, at the urging of his wife, did the unthinkable. He quit the mob and lived to tell about it.

After serving seven years at various prisons across the country, Franzese was approached by agents of the FBI. They asked him if he would participate in a program designed to educate professional athletes about the dangers of gambling and sports. He recorded a video that was presented to professional and collegiate athletes, warning them of the dangers of gambling and the impact it can have on their careers.

Since then, he has been featured on ESPN, Fox Sports and HBO's Real Sports. He has spoken at NBA and MLB rookie camps.

He has spoken at several colleges and universities such as Arizona State, Penn State, University of Connecticut, University of Michigan, and Illinois State just to name a few.

In one of life's ironies 20 years ago, Franzese was trying to convince athletes to participate in his gambling scams. Now he dedicates his life to helping at-risk youth, professional and student athletes, and corporate executives by telling them his story.

Franzese also has written two books, "Quitting the Mob" and "Blood Covenant," chronicling his life in the Mob and how it impacted him.