For more information on booking Joe Pistone for one of your events, call our office at (646) 397- 2068. He also continued to testify against the mob when called upon. As a part-owner, Ruggiero was able to put himself on the company payroll with a $5,000-a-month "no-show" job. Library Journal, May 1, 2004, Jim Burns, review of The Way of the Wiseguy, p. 127. Ruggiero became good friends with future family boss Philip "Rusty" Rastelli and Mirra. Pistones operation led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions. The murder side. This undercover work led to the arrest of over 30 people in February 1976. 23 Feb. 2023 . Napolitano later contacted Pistone, whom he hoped to make a made man,[8] to murder Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato's son, Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato,[9] who had previously evaded death after missing a May 1981 meeting which left Indelicato, Phillip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera dead. Interview with Joe Pistone, November 14, 1989. "Think of the blow it would have been, that they inducted a FBI undercover agent [into the Mafia]," he says. Joseph Dominick Pistone, a man raised in the Sandy Hill section of Paterson, who graduated from Eastside High School, developed into Donnie Brasco. [28], In September 2012, Pistone testified in Montreal, Quebec, at the Charbonneau Commission public inquiry into corruption, as an expert witness.[29]. He gets up off his stool, and I give him a shot right there, because I'm not going outside. Joseph D. Pistone. Ruggiero recognized the boat, the Left Hand, as the same boat Brasco provided several months before for a party. On May 5, 1981, Indelicato and two other rebel capos, Philip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera, were lured to a meeting and murdered.[7]. Well, no, Donnie was an identity created by the FBI, back in the 1980s, when they assigned an agent named Joseph Pistone to go undercover, as Donnie Brasco, and infiltrate some of America's most notorious organized crime familiies. Several years of operating on the far outer edge of the law created some incredibly dangerous moments for Pistone. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Ruggiero reportedly owned a cigarette boat that he kept docked on the East River in New York. For instance, where I reside, my neighbors don't know who I am," he says. As a result of information he uncovered, the federal government was able to arrest and convict some one hundred mobsters, making Pistone one of the most successful undercover agents in the history of FBI Mafia sting operations. Finally the gangster returned. March 4 (UPI) -- Three children are dead and two others remain hospitalized Saturday after a domestic incident in a North Texas town, authorities said. . Encyclopedia.com. Ruggiero relished life as a mobster. After his operation was over, the Five Families of the New York Mafia instituted new rules to thwart new undercover operations. Organized crime was rampant in New York City during the 1970s, and despite decades of efforts, law enforcement never got close to touching the city's top crime families. Photo courtesy FBI, Pennsylvania woman missing for more than 30 years found in Puerto Rico. We showed how families across the country were all involved in this criminal enterprise known as the American Mafia.". Personal Pistone, who was 32 at the start of the operation in 1975, with a wife and two young daughters, already had carried out a major undercover sting with success before he was tapped for what turned into a six-year assignment. Pistone had to think quickly to avoid being exposed, so he pretended like he didn't know the prosecutor and shoved him to the ground. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Even today, 40 years later, the former agent cannot reveal the personal details of his life because of the dangerous nature of the operation. What caught Ruggiero's eye was a picture of a white yacht that the FBI used to entertain the congressmen. Pistone detailed his undercover experience in his 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. Yet it would be hard to imagine a highly emotional, sensitive person who would also be capable of posing as a convincing Mafia associate. "All these hijackings were controlled by the Mafia. 460 of 464 found this interesting | Share this Al Pacino was originally going to play Brasco. They are persistent in going after their illegal conquests.". [6] After the Bonanno leadership learned the truth, they immediately went after the men who brought Brasco into their midst. Russia's Lavrov laughed at after saying West started war in Ukraine, Governor of Philippine province, 5 others killed in gun attack. Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Self-Awareness. [1] His co-workers, friends, and informants had no idea what had happened to him. Encyclopedia.com. "Whereas Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, The Bronx Tale, Casino -- those movies are the mob as it really is. [1] Because of his ability to drive 18-wheeler trucks and bulldozers, he was eventually given undercover work infiltrating a vehicle theft ring, an assignment that resulted in over 30 arrests and a greater profile for Pistone within law enforcement. According to Span in the Washington Post, "Sonny Black's body washed up on Staten Island 10 days after Pistone began testifying in his first major racketeering trial in New York; the corpse was missing its hands"special evidence of disgrace in Mafia terms. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Education: Attended S, Tyler, Anne Joseph D Pistone is a former FBI special agent who went undercover for six years as jewel thief, Donnie Brasco, and infiltrated the Bonanno crime family and to some extent Colombo crime family. For his autobiography, see, FBI surveillance photo of Pistone as Donnie Brasco, Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 08:53, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, "FBI Agent 'Donnie Brasco' Recalls Life in the Mafia", "Undercover Agent Describes Discussions of Mob Murders", "United States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. March 4 (UPI) -- Texas Republicans on Saturday voted overwhelmingly to censure U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales over votes supporting same-sex marriage and gun control bills that broke party lines. Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia is out now on Netflix. The evidence that he collected led to more than 100 convictions, and the Bonanno family lost their seat on the Commission as punishment for allowing Read More Army. Personal Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. They were never seen alive again. The FBI has written the operation gave them a window into the inner workings of the Mafia generally and the Bonanno family specifically (and to a lesser degree, some of the other families), not only in New York, but in Florida, Michigan, and elsewhere. Previous John Gotti, Junior interviewed by 60 minutes. In 1981, Pistone ordered to kill Anthony Bruno Indelicato and the FBI decided to pull him from his undercover operation because the situation was becoming so dangerous. At this time, Ruggiero joined the crew of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, a strong Rastelli supporter. [5], He worked for a year as a teacher at Paterson School No. This assignment would eventually inspire the Johnny Depp movie called Donnie Brasco.. But he has continued to work as an FBI consultant and has also consulted for Scotland Yard, according to the Sunday Mirror. Ruggiero earned his nickname "Lefty" from tossing dice left-handed while playing craps. 3 children killed, 2 hospitalized in North Texas domestic incident. Born February 18, 1929, in Marylebone, London, England; married Shirley Thompson (an illustrator), 1960. [A pseudonym] After growing up in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Pistone joined the FBI in 1969 and in 1974 was transferred to the office in New York City, home of the five main Mafia families Bonanno, Gambino, Colombo, Genovese, and Lucchese. (February 23, 2023). Liked by Joe Pistone Dr. Jason Snodgrass, Superintendent of Schools, is pleased to announce Dr. Steven Lumetta as the Executive Director of Education Services effective Joe has 1 job listed on their profile. [2] In 2008, Italian artist Rossella Biscotti interviewed Pistone in her video The Undercover Man. "We proved that they weren't invincible. Gangland Graveyard", "Joe Pistone talks about Donnie Brasco on 'Inside the American Mob', "WP Has a "Sit-Down" with Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_D._Pistone&oldid=1140491671, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 08:53. After days of negotiating between Pistone and lawyers over having Pistone testify in disguise, Connollys lawyer decided to not call Pistone as a witness after all. Pistone's debut fictional effort appeared as Donnie Brasco: Deep Cover. "Pistone, Joseph D. A job. Pistone was an FBI agent who went undercover in the New York mafia's Five Families starting in 1974 until he was pulled out of the operation in 1981. By 1977, Ruggiero had paid most of his debt to Marangello and the family accepted his membership. [1] While Pistone was undercover, he informed on the activities of the Mafia during some of the most volatile power struggles in organized crime. He had a reputation as a killer but on a daily basis was not prone to violence. While investigating political corruption in Florida, Brasco must keep on the run from vindictive mobsters and endure a life-threatening force of a different type: a hurricane. [5][6] He is of Calabrian and Sicilian heritage, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey,[3][5] where he attended Eastside High School. March 4 (UPI) -- Five people, including two children, were killed in an early morning house fire in Rockland County, N.Y., authorities said Saturday. His theatre credits while in North Carolina include Harry Brock in Born Yesterday, Joe Farkas in The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Star Cat in Psycho Beach Party, Vinnie Bavasi in . Pistones book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia was the basis for the 1997 Mike Newell film Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp as Brasco and Al Pacino as Lefty Ruggiero. Pistone was initially assigned to a truck hijacking squad. His wife and three daughters, who by then were adults, also took on new identities. Being self-aware has countless benefits and can positively affect your physical health, your relationships, your performance at work . [14] Mirra was also later killed on February 18, 1982. 17 days later, they killed Sonny black, Pistone said during a 2007 interview. Perhaps the story of Joseph Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, is the best-known true story of an FBI agent who infiltrated the mob. However, Ruggiero was soon dropped from the partnership because he was unable to provide the initial required investment of $25,000. Updated February 18, 2022 - 9:40 pm. June 26, 2016, 1:00 AM. The boss who led that resurgence, Joseph Massino, was convicted in 2004 of ordering Napolitano to be killed for allowing Pistone into the family. When asked to confirm his personal favorites, he says there's Francis Ford Coppola's exalted Godfather -- and then there's everything else. [17] In November 1982, Ruggiero, along with Nicholas Santora, Antonio Tomasulo, and Anthony "Fat Tony" Rabito, would be convicted in a six-week jury trial for racketeering conspiracy, receiving a 15-year prison sentence. Interview with Joe Pistone, November 14, 1989 All Clips. Joe will oversee each line of business for tax domestically and internationally while focusing on Investment . More charges soon followed. 1982)", "6 GET JAIL TERMS IN RACKETS CASE TIED TO MOBSTERS", UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BENJAMIN RUGGIERO, List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lefty_Ruggiero&oldid=1139759107, Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Lefty", "Lefty Guns", "Mister Violence", "Hefty Lefty", "Horse Cock" and "Lefty Two Guns", Pistone, Joseph D.; & Woodley, Richard (1999). ", "It all comes back to making money. Pistones undercover work ultimately led to more than 100 federal convictions. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. Nowadays, Pistone says he's still busy writing and producing. ", Other factors in Pistone's success, he says, were minding his own business, not getting involved in conversations that didn't concern him and choosing "jewel thief" and "burglar" as Donnie Brasco's "profession. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). For five years, from 1976 to 1981, Pistone, then an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, penetrated the Colombo and Bonanno crime families by posing as "Donnie Brasco" (he chose the name at random), a jewel thief and small-time hoodlum. Infiltrator Says Mob Chief Told of Slayings", "Agent Tells About Tension in Bonanno Group", "Top Bonanno Charged In '81 Mobster Rubout", "Donnie Brasco' Agent Helping Scotland Yard", "Real life Donnie Brasco vows to find 250m stolen art haul", "A part of the Donnie Brasco story comes to Pennsylvania Playhouse", "Review: The true Donnie Brasco comes to life on Pennsylvania Playhouse stage", "Donnie Brascoe - Mafia's Greatest Hits: Yesterday TV", "Secrets of the Dead. (With Richard Woodley) Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, New American Library (New York, NY), 1987. Born September 30, 1924, in New Orleans, LA; name legally changed; died of liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multipl, Snicket, Lemony 1970 "The Biggest Mutt In The History Of The Mafia". March 3 (UPI) -- At a White House meeting on Friday, President Joe Biden thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for Germany's "profound" help in countering Russian aggression in Ukraine. [nb 1] The FBI erased Pistone's name on office rolls and his personnel file; anyone who called asking for him would be told that no one by that name was employed there. The press called him "the Last Don." On January 9, 2003, the FBI picked up Massino at his home in Howard Beach, Queens, to face 19 federal charges. After Galante's murder, Philip Rastelli took over, running the organization from prison. Organized crime was rampant in New York City during the 1970s, and despite decades of efforts, law enforcement never got close to touching the city's top crime families. WASHINGTON -- 'Hello, this is Joe Pistone,' the man on the other end of the phone says in a husky voice with a New Jersey accent that the Mafia wants silenced. [33] A Secrets of the Dead episode, "Gangland Graveyard", features Pistone and his infiltration of the Mafia as part of the long-running investigation into the murder of three Mafia captains by Massino. Bob Starkman / Knicks legend Dave DeBusschere wore #22 and was idolized by Bob Starkman The FBI created the alias of Brasco to stem the rising truck hijacking numbers, but . When undercover as Brasco, Pistone knew that if he were ever identified as FBI, hed likely be murdered. Here's what you need to know about FBI agent Joseph Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, including where he is today. [1] The original focus of the operation was to infiltrate big-time fences and truck hijackings that would in turn lead to the Mafia. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. As a jewel thief, I could bring precious gems, diamonds, watches and stuff like that around.". Joe Pistone is now 81-years-old and is staying out of the spotlight due to a $500,000 contract on his life. Connolly is also a former FBI agent but was convicted ofracketeering,obstruction of justice, andmurdercharges stemming from his relationship withJames Whitey Bulger,Steve Flemmi, and theWinter Hill Gang. Al Pachino played Lefty in the well-known movie titled Donnie Brosco. But it was also the source material -- Pistone's autobiography Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, which quickly became a bestseller in 1988 -- that helped make the film so memorable. He was also of full Sicilian descent. 111 records for Joe Pistone. Born October 25, 1941, in Minneapolis, MN; daughter of Lloyd Parry (a chemist) and Phyllis (a social worker; maiden name, Mahon), https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/pistone-joseph-d-1939. PERSONAL: Born Daniel Handler, 1970, in San Francisco, CA; married Lisa Br, Deighton, Len Joseph D. Pistone. he missed years of his family's milestones: Christmas dinners, a daughter's communion, his wife's surgery. 8 years ago al profit. He was an excellent basketball player, and he married his high school girlfriend, Maggie, in 1961, when he was in his early twenties. [18][1], The Mafia put out a $500,000 contract on Pistone and kicked the Bonanno family off the Commission. of 2 NEXT ADAPTATIONS: Donnie Brasco was released as a motion picture, directed by Mike Newell and starring Johnnie Depp as Pistone, 1997. Joseph Pistone in New York We found 11 records for Joseph Pistone in Salisbury Mills, Wantagh and 9 other cities in New York. In New York City during the mid-1970s, the FBI investigated a rash of truck hijackings happening each day. "What we did is we proved that they could be penetrated," Pistone, now 81, told UPI in an interview from an unspecified location due to the sensitive nature of the saga. SIDELIGHTS: "The man who walks into the trattoria, carefully folds his sports jacket on the seat, and orders a plate of risotto used to be known as Donnie Brasco, veteran jewel thief and trusted insider with the Bonanno crime family." In 2019, Pistone told the Queens Gazette he now works as a consultant and travels to different cities around the world to assist in the training of local police forces on how to perform modern-day police work. Joe Pistone was an FBI Undercover Agent who infiltrated the. When they finally got together after Pistone testified, DiGiaimo recalled: "I told him I thought what he had done was heroic and spectacular and I said it should be a book and a movie. His wife and three daughters, who by then were adults, also took on new identities. "I'm a spoke on a wheel . Nevada landed in UFO spotlight 75 years ago, Skinwalker Ranch and the hitchhiker effect. Pistone was an FBI agent who went undercover in the New York mafias Five Families starting in 1974 until he was pulled out of the operation in 1981. At that time, it was believed the mob was stealing several large trucks a day. In fact, Pistone was so good at earning the trust of higher-ups in the feared Bonanno family -- namely Anthony Mirra, Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero and Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano -- that he eventually earned consideration for promotion as a "made man" himself. ", In the motion picture version of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, Pistone begins as very much "a friend of mine" to Lefty, Pacino's character, only establishing his bona fides after a great deal of testing. "[6] Ruggiero was the epitome of a wiseguy and had the respect of other mobsters. View a full description of this video . I take no chances.. In an interview, Joseph D. Pistone said that he didn't see his family for at least two years while he was undercover. According to Cochran, Pistone "cranks back a slow nod, like a wiseguy [gangster]. After six years spent collecting a mountain of evidence for the feds, Pistone finally "came in" after a years-long, high-stakes undercover operation posing as a criminal associate of the New York Mafia. His interest had a significance beyond their relationship: DiGiaimo worked in the movie business. '", "It just so happened that I was lucky enough to bypass the fences, and hooked up with the actual mobsters.". Some three decades ago he infiltrated one of New York's five organized crimes families, the Bonanno family, as a street burglar called "Donnie Brasco the Jeweler". Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [1][2][5] In 1974, he was transferred to New York to work in the truck and hijack unit. In this episode, Gary interviews the famous retired FBI Agent Joe Pistone aka Donnie Brasko, and his podcasting partner Leo Rossi. Then, about midway through the decade, enter FBI special agent Joseph D. Pistone. Pistone was an FBI agent for 17 years, from 1969 until he resigned in 1986. This video is part of the collection entitled: Abilene Library Consortium and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library . It's 3:45 p.m. on a Tuesday and . He lived in an apartment on Monroe Street in Manhattan in the same building as his friend and Bonanno soldier Anthony Mirra. As for any feelings of guilt regarding his betrayal of former confreres, Pistone was philosophical: if they had found out who he was while he was among them, he reasoned, they would have had no qualms about doing away with him. He and Pistone had grown up together and had met again in the 1970s, when they played basketball together regularly. 'Your guy okayed you,' he said. "I grew up in Paterson, N.J., which is just a blue-collar, working town, and I grew up in an all-Italian neighborhood," he said. At least 10 people have died in the wake of a severe weather system bringing fierce winds, damaging tornadoes and flash flooding to the U.S. South and Midwest. 390 of 393 found this interesting | Share this Pistone resigned from the FBI in 1986, but returned in 1992 and spent four more years as an agent. Executive Producer Jared Lipworth, former FBI undercover agent Joseph Pistone and Larry Engel, producer and director speak during the panel discussion for "Gangland Graveyard" during the PBS 2005 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. "I knew mob guys growing up, so this wasn't foreign to me -- what I mean by that is there were social clubs in the neighborhood, I knew mob guys. "The mob you see in this movie," Pistone told Span, "that's the true Mafia." Blumenthal seemed to concede this when he quoted a passage from the book as evidence to back up Pistone's claim that he is "not inclined toward soulsearching": "I say, 'You wanna step outside?' Now considered one of the classic American Mob movies of the last 50 years, the film frequently is listed among the ranks of cinematic crime classics such as Goodfellas and The Godfather, thanks in part to one of Depp's career-defining performances. Worked as a teacher, c. 1960s; employed by federal government in Navy intelligence section for three years, late 1960s; Federal Bureau of Investigation, agent, c. 197086; security consultant, 198696. Publishers Weekly, March 1, 1999, review of Donnie Brasco: Deep Cover, p. 66. New York Times Book Review, February 14, 1988, Ralph Blumenthal, review of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, p. 22. [19] FBI agents visited Mafia bosses in New York and advised them not to murder Pistone. As for the testing, that continued throughout his five years. Pistone convinced the FBI that using undercover agents in lieu of informants was a crucial tool in law enforcement. When Pistone's operation was ended on July 26, 1981, the FBI intercepted and arrested Ruggiero on August 29, 1981. During his undercover operation, Pistone was ordered to commit four murders. [7] He attended Paterson State College (now William Paterson University),[5] obtaining a degree in anthropology in 1965. The Bonanno family told Ruggiero that he would have to repay Marangello before he could become a made man. Joe Pistone (I) Actor Writer Director IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Play demo reel 2:56 JOE PISTONE THEATRICAL REEL 3 Videos 23 Photos Joe Pistone was born and raised in Northern New Jersey and attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. Joseph Pistone Spent Six Years Inside the Mafia and Lived to Tell the Tale . Information from the initial Donnie Brasco case was provided in every affidavit in every major mob case afterward.". Lefty Ruggerio was a lifetime made-guy in the Bonanno Crime Family of New York City. Around the time Ruggiero became a made member in the Bonanno family, Anthony Mirra introduced him to Joseph Pistone. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. The original story aired in 2007 on KLAS-TV In Las Vegas, NV. Most Americans probably know about Pistone through the 1997 film Donnie Brasco, in which he's portrayed by Depp. Could it be?" Ruggiero's granddaughter Ramona Rizzo appeared on the TV show Mob Wives on VH-1.[13]. 1939(? Joseph D. Pistone was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in September 1939. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PERSONAL: Born 1939 (some sources say 1940), in Paterson, NJ; father a bar manager; married; wife's name Maggie (a nurse); children: three daughters. [34], Pistone featured prominently in the 2013 mini-series Inside the American Mob. Washington Monthly reviewer Selwyn Raab commented: "Pistone's observations demystify the myths concocted by novelists and moviemakers about a benevolent, roguish side to the Mafia. Thus in 1977, as David Brand reported in Time, "two mobsters became suspicious that Pistone was a stoolie and demanded that he provide a criminal reference. Mobbed Up: A Donnie Brasco Novel, Onyx (New York, NY), 2000. ) ", Both the book and the film adaptation offer insights into the Mafia mind as only someone like Pistonesomeone, that is, who is very like a mobster except for being on the right side of the lawcan offer. Likewise, there is the syntactical distinction between the way a mobster refers to someone outside the Mafia"He's a friend of mine"and the way he identifies a "made man": "He's a friend of ours. There is a reason for this authenticity: the hero of the tale, and the events in which he participated, are all real. Donnie Brasco should have won the Oscar, wouldn't you agree? "In the commission case, we convicted all the leaders, so that was a big blow. Now an unhappy Lefty was looking at a page in Time with a picture of the very same yacht: it had been used by the FBI in the Abscam scandal to help catch several crooked congressmen accepting bribes from agents posing as rich Arabs." The Mafia kicked the Bonanno family off The Commission and put a $500,000 contract on Joseph. You are unauthorized to view this page. It was the bureau's final cue to pull him out. More than the criminal evidence that I gathered, there was all the intelligence against the Mafia, showing the leadership in the families, family members, how they interacted with each other. There is, for instance, his explanation of the word "Fugeddaboudit" (Forget about it), which can mean any number of things, ranging from "Yes, absolutely" to "You must be kidding" to "Don't mention it" to "Forget about it." Truly a one-man operation, he was to pose as a Miami-based thief who specialized in jewelry and watches and was looking to fence his merchandise through the New York mob. Eugene S. Robinson. 173: Donnie Brasco with Joe Pistone and Leo Rossi In the movie Donnie Brasco we see the story of an FBI agent who goes into deep cover infiltrating the New York mafia families. He creates a new identity for himself - Donnie Brasco - a jewel thief from Miami - and finds himself an easy target in "Lefty" Ruggiero - an aging member of the family who's been passed over. His deep cover assignment on the hijack squad led directly to his undercover work as Donnie Brasco. "I'll . [1] Only after Pistone departed did FBI agents Doug Fencl, Jim Kinne, and Jerry Loar inform Napolitano that his longtime associate was an FBI agent. [5], In the spring of 1976, Pistone volunteered to infiltrate the Bonanno crime family, a job for which his fluency in Italian, Sicilian heritage, and the knowledge of mafia idiosyncrasies gleaned from his Paterson background were well suited. His pseudonym -- "Donnie Brasco.". Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Write by: . [1] By dodging this bullet, the family kept its leadership intact and was able to consolidate its power once again. Joe Pistone is now 81-years-old and is staying out of the spotlight due to a $500,000 contract on his life. Pistone spent six years posing as a mobster named Donnie Brasco inside the Bonanno crime family. Months before, Pistone had asked another FBI agent to instruct a Mob informant in Florida always to be ready to vouch for Donnie Brasco. It was also the basis for the short-lived 2000 television series Falcone, starring Jason Gedrick as Pistone (whose mob alias was changed from "Donnie Brasco" to "Joe Falcone" for legal reasons). [2] When Mirra was sent to prison, Pistone was tutored in the ways of the Mafia by Bonanno soldier Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero, whose captain was Mike "Mimi" Sabella. In the book, Pistone chronicles his undercover operation infiltrating the Bonanno Crime Family one of the five crime families in NYC. He's written books about the adventure, produced movies and television shows and worked for the State Department, where he advised foreign allies on how to fight organized crime.

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