Sonny Forelli

"Vice City is 24-Karat gold these days. Columbians, Mexicans, hell, even those Cuban refugees are cutting themselves a slice of some nice action."

- Sonny announces his plan

Sonny Forelli (1946-1986) is Tommy's boss and the main antagonist in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He was the one that got Tommy in jail for 15 years. He betrayed him for money. Tommy killed him and got his revenge.

History
Sonny Forelli lived in Liberty City. He became the Don of the Forelli Family at a young age according to the Vice City Police Department criminal files. Around 1971 Sonny had led Tommy Vercetti into an ambush in Harwood (located in Liberty City), telling Tommy he was to assassinate a key mobster. Tommy survived the ambush but was arrested by the Liberty City Police Department and imprisoned. Sonny continued in his various illegal activities, which by 1986 are believed to be rackeetering, gambling, unions, corruption and prostitution, making the Forelli family the most powerful Mafia family at that time. Upon Tommy's release, Sonny decides to send him down south. Through his contact in Vice City, Ken Rosenberg a lawyer they organize a drug deal with the Vance Crime Family, which leads to an ambush resulting in the deaths of Forelli mobsters Harry and Lee and Vance Crime Family boss Victor Vance. Tommy later informs Sonny of the ambush, with Sonny reacting angrily, seemingly holding Tommy responsible for the recovery of the money regardless of whose fault it was.

Ken Rosenberg later begins to employ Tommy Vercetti and helps him establish himself in the city, introducing him to a number of the cities key people, including Colonel Juan Cortez, who helped Rosenberg set up the deal, and real estate mogul Avery Carrington. Rosenberg, fearing Sonny, stays in his office for a number of days, but does send Tommy to intimidate two jurors prosecuting Sonny's cousin Giorgio.

Sonny allows Tommy to establish a business empire in the city, in order for Tommy to repay his debt. Tommy, however, continues to expand his business empire and manages to extract revenge for the ambushed drug deal, killing Gonzalez and the cities drug baron, Ricardo Diaz. Tommy, however, fails to give Sonny his cut, resulting in Sonny sending some of his men to collect money from Tommy's numerous businesses.

Tommy, expecting Sonny to arrive after his collectors were killed, prepares to give Sonny counterfeit money printed at his print works. Sonny, however, reveals that Lance Vance, Tommy's friend, has joined forces with him and informed him of Tommy and Ken Rosenberg's plan. Being forwarned about Tommy's deception, Sonny came to the Vercetti estate prepared with a large number of gunmen to take over the business for the Forelli Family.

A huge gun fight erupts, during which Sonny finally confirms Tommy's suspicions that he was in fact set up in 1971. The shootout concludes with the deaths of Lance and Sonny, alongside countless Forelli Family mobsters.

Legacy
Salvatore Leone, the Don of the Leone Family, in 1992 informs Johnny Sindacco of the Sindacco Family that the death of Sonny Forelli dealt a severe blow to the Forelli Family, allowing the Sindacco Family to move into Liberty City from Las Venturas. Salvatore states "Ever since Sonny Forelli got himself pasted all over Florida, you think you run things in this town". A film about Sonny's life, entitled "Sonny Forelli: A True Story" is advertised in Liberty City in 1998.

It was also the beginning of the end of the Forelli Family.