Joseph D. Pistone
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Joseph Dominick Pistone (born 1939), alias Donnie Brasco, is a former FBI agent who worked undercover for six years infiltrating the Bonanno family and to a lesser extent the Colombo Family, branches of the Mafia in New York City. Pistone has stated that he would have become a made member of the Bonanno family if he had murdered capo Phillip Giaccone in December of 1981. That hit was called off, but Pistone was later contracted to murder Alphonse Indelicato's son, Anthony Indelicato. Pistone was sworn-in as a Special Agent of the FBI in 1969, 7 years before going 'undercover'.
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[edit] Early life
Pistone was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and grew up in the Sandy Hill section of Paterson, New Jersey. He graduated from Paterson State College (now William Paterson University) in 1965 with a degree in anthropology. After a year of working as a teacher in Paterson School No. 10, he worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He became an FBI special agent in 1969 (Diehl 2006). He is of no relation to Colombo crime family mobster Joseph (Joe Baldy) Pistone or Lawrence (Larry) Pistone.
[edit] Career Prior to Donnie Brasco
After serving in a variety of FBI roles throughout the USA, Pistone was transferred to New York in 1974 and assigned to the truck hijacking squad. His ability to drive 18 wheel trucks and bulldozers meant he was picked for what would become his first major undercover role, infiltrating a gang stealing these vehicles as well as others, sometimes to order. His penetration of this group led to the arrest of over 30 people along the eastern seaboard of the USA in February 1976 and was described at the time as one of the largest and most profitable theft rings ever broken in the USA to that point.
[edit] As Donnie Brasco
Pistone was selected to be an undercover agent because he was of Sicilian heritage, was fluent in Italian, and was acquainted with the Mob from growing up in Paterson. He also said that he did not perspire under pressure and was aware of the mafia's codes of conduct and system. The operation was given the code "Sun-Apple". At the same time Joe was investigating the Bonanno crime family, Bob Delaney, under the ruse of "Bobby Covert" a.k.a. "Bobby Smash" began investigating the New Jersey organized crime scene. He maintained during the investigation an open association with the crime families who would alleviate their business pressures from the unions for a price. The two would actually meet through Colombo crime family capo Nicholas Forlano. At the time, neither man knew that the other was working undercover. After an extensive amount of background work, the name Donald Brasco was chosen to be his cover and in September 1976 he went undercover. Pistone has stated that it was not the original aim to penetrate the Mafia, rather the focus was to be on a group of people fencing stolen property from the large number of truck hijackings taking place each day in New York at the time (5 to 6 a day). It was intended the undercover operation last for 6 months, rather than 6 years.
Pistone subsequently developed a close relationship with the Bonanno capo Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, Michael Sabella, Anthony Mirra and was tutored in the ways of the Mafia by Bonanno soldier Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero. It was by doing this that Ruggiero was to inadvertently provide much evidence to Pistone, as made Mafia members will not normally talk to non members about the activities of other crews.
The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members. Pistone's operation ended after six years when Napolitano ordered Pistone to murder Anthony Indelicato, who previously evaded a meeting which left Anthony's father Alphonse Indelicato, together with Phillip "Philly Lucky" Giaccone and Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera, dead. Pistone never witnessed, or was involved in the murder of the three. Two days later, FBI agents informed Napolitano and Ruggiero that their longtime associate was in fact an FBI agent. Shortly thereafter, Black was murdered for having allowed an FBI agent to infiltrate the family. Ruggiero was to be killed but was instead arrested by the FBI in order to prevent his death. Following Napolitano's murder, the Mafia put out a $500,000 contract on Pistone, but the contract was rescinded following a sitdown between FBI agents and members of the Bonanno family where unprecedented FBI attention was threatened on the mob if Pistone was touched. Subsequent surveillance confirmed the contract had been lifted.[citation needed]
Bonanno boss Joe Massino was convicted in 2004 of ordering Napolitano to be killed for allowing Pistone into the family.
Pistone detailed his undercover experience in his 1987 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. This book was the basis for the 1997 film Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp as Pistone and Al Pacino as Ruggiero. Pistone revisited his experiences as Donnie Brasco in his 2004 book The Way of the Wiseguy, and his 2007 book Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business.
Pistone continues to be active as an author and consultant to worldwide law enforcement agencies and has been called to testify before the U.S. Senate as an expert on organized crime. He also wrote a novel, titled The Good Guys, with Joe Bonanno's son, Salvatore Bonanno. Despite the contract on his life being lifted, he still travels disguised, under assumed names and with a license to carry a firearm.
[edit] References
- Diehl, Christine S. "WP Has a Sit-Down With Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco", WP, The Magazine of William Paterson University, Vol. 7, No. 1, Winter 2006.
- Pistone, Joseph D.; & Woodley, Richard (1999) Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, p. 402, Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-66637-4.
- Pistone, Joseph D. (2004). The Way of the Wiseguy, Running Press. ISBN 0-7624-1839-7.
- Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, Running Press. ISBN 0-7624-2707-8.
- Testimony before Senate Sub Committee on Organized Crime http://www.americanmafia.com/pistone_testimony.html
