Louis Ferrante - Biography

Louis Ferrante (born May 13, 1969) is an American writer, motivational speaker, and media personality who has appeared on television stations such as MSNBC, Fox News Channel, BBC, PBS, and Comedy Central. On September 15, 2011, Ferrante spoke at The Economist's Ideas Economy: Human Potential Summit in New York City.

Early life

Ferrante was born and raised in Queens, New York. As a teenager, Ferrante made his reputation as a gang leader. Ferrante and his crew hijacked delivery trucks all over New York and he soon gained the attention of the infamous Gambino crime family. By his early twenties, Ferrante headed a crew of older armed robbers within the family. On one occasion, Ferrante and his crew flew from New York to California to hold up an armored car. His plans were foiled by the FBI, although there was not enough evidence to charge Ferrante and his crew with a crime. During this time, he was suspected of masterminding some of the largest heists in U.S. history.

Arrests

The law caught up with Ferrante and he became the target of three separate investigations. He was eventually indicted by the FBI, The U.S. Secret Service, and the Nassau County Organized Crime Task Force. The main informant against Ferrante was placed in the Witness Protection Program. By 1994, and facing a life sentence in prison, Ferrante wrote and distributed a rap song defending infamous Gambino Family Boss John Gotti. He hired controversial civil rights attorney William Kunstler to defend him. In court, Kunstler claimed that Ferrante's song aggravated law enforcement agencies who'd convicted Gotti and that the massive resources used to indict Ferrante multiple times were part of a government vendetta. Ferrante's defense was defeated in court by prosecutors and Ferrante was forced to plead guilty to a thirteen year sentence. Ferrante refused to cooperate with the government and did not inform on former associates of the Gambino family. He was sent to the maximum security prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to begin his sentence.

Prison

During Ferrante's incarceration, he read his first book. He subsequently immersed himself in the study of history, philosophy, and literature. He also learned the art of writing, and penned an historical novel, Aleesa, set in the antebellum South. At the time, Lewisburg Penitentiary was the scene of an on-going race war which claimed the lives of several men, brutally murdered inside the prison. Ferrante states in his memoir, Unlocked, that the novel was written to shield his mind from the racism around him.

While in prison, Ferrante successfully appealed his own conviction, a case that is cited in courtrooms across the country. He was released in January 2003, after serving eight and a half years. In addition to law, Ferrante studied many religions and chose to convert to Judaism, becoming an observant Jew (having been raised Catholic).

Books and Other Writings

In the U.S., Ferrante's memoir is Unlocked: a Journey From Prison to Proust in hardcover. The paperback edition is Unlocked: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider. In the United Kingdom, the memoir is Tough Guy: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider. The book has also been translated into Dutch.

Ferrante's second book is a non-fiction work, Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman. It has been translated into eleven languages: German, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazil), Bulgarian, Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan), French, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese. Ferrante has also contributed essays to Signed, Your Student: Celebrities Praise the Teachers Who Made Them Who They Are Today, and Bound to Last: 30 Writers on Their Most Cherished Book.

United Kingdom

Ferrante has voluntarily devoted much time and effort to visiting prisons and promoting literacy in the U.K., and his contribution to inspiring others in the pursuit of literacy was recognized at a ceremony at Number 10 Downing Street where he was given an award by Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in 2009.

Ferrante has been a guest on Tim Shaw's Absolute Radio show, "Absolution," several times. On September 4, 2009, Louis gave a half hour interview over the phone to Tim Shaw on Absolute Radio talking about his life in the Mafia and the criminal lifestyle. It was also part of the UK's knife amnesty, encouraging youths to stay away from knife crime. Louis also appeared on the Tim Shaw & Show.

Career

In addition to writing, and his work in the U.K., Ferrante also speaks in the United States to many and varied groups, telling his story of personal transformation to motivate and inspire others that they too, can change their lives.

Television Appearances

• Fox & Friends. Fox News Channel, 1/21/11.
• HARDtalk with Sarah Montague. BBC, 9/3/2008.
• Jansing & Co. MSNBC, 1/21/11.
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central

*"Make It Rain - Bank of America," Episode 15026, 2/23/2010. *"He's Come Ungunned," Episode 15052, 4/15/2010.

• One-on-One with Steve Adubato. PBS

Bibliography

• Bound to Last: 30 Writers on Their Most Cherished Book. Sean Manning, editor. 2010, ISBN 978-0-306-81921-6.
• Ferrante, Louis. Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman. 2011. ISBN 978-1-59184-398-6.
• Ferrante, Louis. Unlocked: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider. 2009, ISBN 978-0-06-113386-2.
• Langum, David J. William M. Kunstler: The Most Hated Lawyer in America. 1999, ISBN 0-8147-5150-4.
• Signed, Your Student: Celebrities Praise the Teachers Who Made Them Who They Are Today. Holly M. Holbert, editor. 2010, ISBN 978-1-60714-121-1.

Radio Interviews

• The Bob Edwards Show. 2/23/2009. (http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/blog/2009/2/23/this-weeks-shows-february-23-27-2009.html).
• The Leonard Lopate Show: Mafia Soldier Converts to Orthodox Judaism. 3/26/2008.(http://www.nyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2008/03/26/segments/95678).

External links

• Louis Ferrante Official Website