Mario Facione
Mario Facione is famous for his extraordinary escape from the mafia and conversion to Christianity, specifically to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as told in his bestselling autobiography Mafia to Mormon. [1]
History
(The following is from an interview in the Deseret Morning News:)
His life of crime began young. His father began teaching him the trade when he was 8. He gave him strict rules as he matured: No women (because they talk), no drinking (because you talk), no idleness (idle hands . . . ), no swearing (draws attention to you).
"My father taught me the gospel, backwards," says Mario.
By 9, Facione was a pro. He swept floors in a bar so he could eavesdrop on customers, then he'd follow them home to see where they lived, learn if they had kids, then break into their homes in the light of day.
As an adult, he owned a trucking company and kept his eyes open for scams, which were backed by the Mafia. His biggest scheme: He stole more than a dozen backhoes weighing close to 200,000 pounds and sold them in neighboring states, only to buy them back later and resell them repeatedly.
By the age of 40, he had about $400,000 in cash and $3 million in assets. He tried some legit deals. As fate would have it, he invested $50,000 in a product made in Utah. It proved to be a scam. He flew to Salt Lake to get his money back. While in town, he says, he was strangely moved by the sight of the statue of Moroni at Temple Square. That night he had a vivid dream ("I came out of bed like I was shot out of a slingshot"). Two weeks later, back in Detroit, two LDS missionaries pulled into his driveway.
He told the Mafia about his conversion and, by the way, he would no longer work for them, even if it meant death. They allowed him to continue breathing, but he says they blackballed him and broke him. "I was a cash cow for them," he says.
His wife left him. He wound up living out of a Ford Escort and showering at a gas station. He had $15 in his pocket, an eighth-grade education and could barely read. And then one Sunday a man in church offered him a job.
Today, Facione, 68, has a wife, three children and seven grandchildren, and he works once a week at the LDS temple in Michigan. He endures as one of the world's unlikeliest Mormons.[2] Facione has served on the high council of the Bloomfield Hills Michigan Stake.
Facione lived in Milford, Michigan, and worked with airport security issues. Facione was involved in running a demolition company.[3]
He passed away on July 26, 2015.
References
- ↑ Mafia to Mormon
- ↑ Deseret Morning News
- ↑ City Council Minutes - June 2, 2003
- Facione, Mario. (2004) Mafia to Mormon: My Conversion Story. Springville, UT: Cedar Fort.
- Detroit Metro Times, "Detroit is not alone"
- Deseret News, "Ex-mobster shares conversion story"
