Larry Mazza is a former member of the Colombo crime group. He has written a book about his time with the Mafia.
He also appeared in ‘I Lived With a Killer,’ ‘The Irishman,’ and ‘I Married a Mobster.’ He currently works as a fitness trainer and owns a few gyms in Florida.
| Name | Lawrence Mazza Jr. |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | February 21st, 1961 (61 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Height: | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters) |
| Profession: | Ex-hitman, writer, fitness instructor, actor |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Children: | 1 |
| Parents: | Lawrence Mazza Sr. (father), Joan Mazza (mother) |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $10-15 million |
Net Worth
It is unclear what Mazza’s exact net worth is. Some sources state that he has a net worth of $650,000, whereas others estimate $20 million. However, based on current research, it is likely that the figure is closer to $20 million, potentially between $10-15 million.
The majority of Mazza’s current earnings come from his fitness training. Mazza owns various gyms on Merritt Island in Florida. These venues have a revenue of approximately $150,000 each per year.
Mazza has also made some money from acting. He appeared in a small role in ‘The Irishman’ in 2019. Mazza also worked as the film’s technical advisor for Robert de Niro.
Unfortunately, the movie was considered a box office flop, as it only grossed $8 million worldwide against a budget of approximately $200 million. So, we can estimate he only made a small portion of earnings from this.
Mazza has made appearances in documentaries, including 2019’s ‘I Lived With a Killer’ and ‘Mafia Killers with Colin McLaren’ from 2018. He has also made regular appearances on ‘The Bobby Luisi Show’.
Some of Mazza’s earnings also come from his book, ‘The Life: A Brooklyn Boy is Seduced Into the Dark World of the Mafia.’ Mazza published the book himself in 2016, and he owns all the rights to it.
Mazza has spoken to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi about adapting the book for television or film. As such, if the book is adapted to the screen, Mazza will keep a significant amount of the revenue.
Before entering a legitimate business, Mazza worked for the Colombo family crime syndicate. It is unclear how much money he had from this.
However, Mazza lost $700,000 when he went to prison, which affected his net worth. Mazza did have some cash leftover before going to prison, but it is unknown how much this was.
Company
Mazza owns a few fitness centers on Merritt Island. These include ‘Fla Fitness’ and ‘Sunset Fitness.’ Fla Fitness has an annual revenue of approximately $110,000, and Mazza employs a few staff members at this location.
Similarly, Sunset Fitness has an annual revenue of $150,000. So, we can estimate that Mazza earns at least $100,000 annually from both of these gyms.
Mazza published a biography about his time with the Mafia in 2016. He wrote it during his time in jail. Mazza also created a DVD with the book that includes the theme song and trailer about the book. He is currently selling copies of it on his website for $19.95. However, the book’s sales and annual revenue figures are currently unavailable. Mazza has stated that he has sold “a nice amount” of his book.
I don’t know if you call it the Mafia, the Mob, to us it was The Life. Even the women & later the prosecutors called it The Life 🔫 Larry Mazza @TheMobMuseum @CityOfLasVegas #LoveVegas pic.twitter.com/WliqVfduxG
— Liz Taylor Brass 😻 (@LizTaylorBrass) May 18, 2018
Salary
Mazza’s first job was at Danza’s Supermarket, where he worked as a grocery delivery person. He earned around $15-20 per hour, adjusted for inflation.
Mazza’s exact salary while working for the Colombo criminal group is unknown. However, he has mentioned that when doing legitimate work for the group, he got around $250 per week. As he did more work, this went to $250 daily, then a few thousand dollars weekly.
Later, Mazza spoke about spending around $5000-$7000 during a weekend and having no issues with this when doing illegitimate work for the Colombo group.
Mazza has also mentioned getting a 15-20% cut from jobs. So, we can estimate that his monthly salary was much higher than this.
Early life
On February 21st, 1961, Mazza was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Lawrence Mazza Senior, was a firefighter. His mother, Joan, was part of the banking industry. He has described his upbringing as being ‘very normal’.
He began attending a Catholic school in Brooklyn and became an avid sports player in high school. This included football, baseball, and martial arts.
Mazza also trained younger students at school, which is how he found his passion for personal training. Whilst in college, Mazza scored an A in writing, which helped him write his autobiography later in life.
Originally, Mazza aimed to become a firefighter like his father but later changed his mind. Mazza began attending John Jay College and started studying criminal justice.
He worked as a newspaper delivery boy before becoming a grocery delivery person for Danza’s Supermarket. However, he soon gave up this dream once he entered the Mafia world and never finished his education.
One of the regular customers on Mazza’s grocery route was Linda Schiro. Unbeknownst to Mazza, she was the wife of one of the leaders in the Colombo Mafia. Schiro seduced the then 17-year-old Mazza, and the two fell in love.
Six months into the relationship, Mazza met Charles Schiro, who was Linda’s husband.
Career
Charles told Mazza they would meet lawyers from a company, which later turned out to be a fictional organization. At the meeting, Charles made Mazz the sales manager for the group even though he had no formal qualifications nor a resume.
Mazza began working for Charles. Charles gave Mazza a list of places to visit where Mazza would service their fire extinguishers. Then, he would attempt to sell these groups paper products. It is unclear how much Mazza was earning at this moment. During this time, he realised that Charles was a member of the Colombo crime syndicate.
In the 1980s, Mazza also got involved in off-track betting, a form of gambling on horse racing that takes place outside the tracks. Mazza worked to collect the debts from this. Mazza earned approximately $500-800 a week, or $1773-2837 adjusted for inflation.
Eventually, Mazza became more involved with the Colombo crime family and started performing more jobs for them.
He began working as a hitman and soldier. He forced individuals who did not pay their gambling debts to pay up. This progressed to Mazza committing murder, including Vinnie Fusaro. Fusaro was a member of the opposing Orena faction of the Columbo group. Mazza grew close to one of the major bosses for the group, Greg Scarpa.
During a hit, Mazza was shot in the eye. He was forced to end his career in the Mafia and fled to Florida. He attempted to hide from the law but was eventually caught, along with other group members. Mazza was charged with racketeering, murder, and other crimes. However, Mazza received a shorter sentence than his peers for informing a corrupt member of the FBI named Lindley DeVecchio.
While in prison, Mazza began writing an autobiography. He later developed this into ‘The Life: A Brooklyn Boy is Seduced Into the Dark World of the Mafia.’
In 2001, Mazza was released from prison after serving nine years. He then began working in a gym. He worked for three gyms and decided to open a gym himself. In 2003, he opened his own fitness center. Currently, he works as a fitness instructor and co-owner of these fitness centers.
Career Highlights
- Grocery delivery person for Danza’s Supermarket
- Began working for Colombo crime family
- Collecting debts, earning around $1773-$2837 per week
- Progressed to soldier for group
- In 1986, went to jail and lost $700,000
- Released in 2001 and began working in gyms
- Opened fitness centers in Florida
Personal Life
Mazza met his first wife, Christine, in a hair salon while working for the Colombo group. In 1991, the pair married and had a son named Lawrence Mazza II. Once released from prison, Mazza divorced Christine.
Later, Mazza met Kelly Guion, who became his second wife in 2012. Mazza’s son is currently pursuing a career in acting. He has starred in lead roles at the Cocoa Village Playhouse and relocated to New York City to develop his skills.
Interesting Facts
- Gregory Scarpa, the leader of the Colombo group at the time, was an FBI informant for 30 years. Mazza said it was difficult to come to terms with this when he found out in prison.
- After leaving jail, Mazza chose not to be part of the witness protection program. He did not believe the Colombo group would take revenge against him.
- Before becoming a criminal, many people believed Mazza would become a captain or chief of the New York City Fire Department.
- Mazza used his experience working for the Mafia to inform Niro’s acting choices in ‘The Irishman.’
Summary
Larry Mazza is a former member of the Colombo crime group. He worked for the group for several years before being imprisoned.
He has written a book about his experiences and appeared in several documentaries. Currently, Mazza owns a few gyms in Florida and works as a fitness instructor.