", 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. Pistone spent six years posing as a mobster named Donnie Brasco inside the Bonanno crime family. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/pistone-joseph-d-1939, "Pistone, Joseph D. Bada-Bing Blog Web site, http://www.nj.com/weblogs/sporanos (May 31, 2004), interview with Joseph D. Pistone. According to Pistone, the murderers were Sonny Black, Joe Massino, Sal Vitale, Joseph DeSimone, Nicholas Santora, Vito Rizzuto, Louis Giongetti, Santo Giordano and Gerlando Sciascia. MYSTERY WIRE Former FBI agent Joe Pistone had one of the most harrowing assignments ever handed to an agent infiltrate New Yorks feared Bonanno crime family. Pistone was able to work his way into a crew of hijackers and fences associated with the Colombo family. You are unauthorized to view this page. [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. 111 records for Joe Pistone. But had the agent passed on the message? "[6] Ruggiero was the epitome of a wiseguy and had the respect of other mobsters. ", After completing his testimony in a long series of trials, Pistone began writing Donnie Brasco with Richard Woodley. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. We showed how Chicago was involved. When he switched to Lefty, he recommended Johnny Depp. Even today, 40 years later, the former agent cannot reveal the personal details of his life because of the dangerous nature of the operation. 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. Lefty Ruggerio was a lifetime made-guy in the Bonanno Crime Family of New York City. They are similar to a salesman or some type of business in which you deal with people, you have to be persistent. Then, about midway through the decade, enter FBI special agent Joseph D. Pistone. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. It ultimately led to more than 100 federal convictions through the commission and "Pizza Connection" cases. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Joseph Dominick Pistone (born September 17, 1939), is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco, between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City.Pistone was an FBI agent for 17 years, from 1969 until he . [21][22] The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members. Nation, March 31, 1997, Stuart Klawans, motion picture review of Donnie Brasco, p. 35. 77 Joe Pistone Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Editorial Video Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 77 Joe Pistone Premium High Res Photos Browse 77 joe pistone stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. "The mob you see in this movie," Pistone told Span, "that's the true Mafia." 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." Photo courtesy FBI, An FBI surveillance photograph shows Joseph D. Pistone (L), as "Donnie Brasco," with mobster Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero and FBI agent Edgar Robb (R) as "Tony Rossi." They are persistent in going after their illegal conquests.". Donnie Brasco should have won the Oscar, wouldn't you agree? 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. From 1960-1969, Joseph Pistone was in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Information from the initial Donnie Brasco case was provided in every affidavit in every major mob case afterward.". Al Pachino played Lefty in the well-known movie titled Donnie Brosco. Donnie Brasco: Deep Cover, Penguin (New York, NY), 1999. The moment many have been waiting for has arrived at Quebec's inquiry into corruption into its construction industry, as former FBI agent Joseph Pistone (aka Donnie Brasco) took the stand. In front of Pistone, he once explained: "As a wiseguy you can lie, you can cheat, you can steal, you can finagle, you can cause a ruckusyou can do anything and nobody can say a word about it. 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. he missed years of his family's milestones: Christmas dinners, a daughter's communion, his wife's surgery. ", "It all comes back to making money. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Here in this NJ Blue Now exclusive, he . Yet it would be hard to imagine a highly emotional, sensitive person who would also be capable of posing as a convincing Mafia associate. According to the bureau, the FBI learned firsthand through Pistone who the big players were, what kinds of rackets they were running and how they were ruled by a national high council, called "the commission." Ruggiero became good friends with future family boss Philip "Rusty" Rastelli and Mirra. The book was the basis for the 1997 film Donnie Brasco, for which Pistone worked as a technical adviser, starring Johnny Depp as Pistone and Al Pacino as "Lefty" Ruggiero. Time, January 18, 1988, review of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, p. 21; January 18, 1988, David Brand, "Strife and Death in the Family; An Ex-FBI Agent Describes Five Chilling Years inside the Mafia," profile of Joseph D. Pistone, p. 21. When Pistone's operation was ended on July 26, 1981, the FBI intercepted and arrested Ruggiero on August 29, 1981. And Pistone's theory on why he succeeded in making Operation Donnie Brasco one of the FBI's most enduring masterpieces? Joe Pistone was an FBI Undercover Agent who infiltrated the. Publishers Weekly, March 1, 1999, review of Donnie Brasco: Deep Cover, p. 66. - Prisoner of War -- United States Form MiniDV Extent 1 item Encyclopedia.com. Pistones operation led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions. I like horses. This assignment would eventually inspire the Johnny Depp movie called Donnie Brasco.. 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. In 2005, Pistone did work on an episode of Secrets of the Dead called Gangland Graveyard for PBS which focused on his infiltration of the mob and his long-running investigation into the murder of three Mafia leaders by Joseph Massino those murders were Philip Philly Lucky Giaccone, Alphonse Sonny Red Indelicato, and Dominick Big Trin Trinchera. During his undercover operation, Pistone was ordered to commit four murders. Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. I take no chances.. ", 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. 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. 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. Interview with Joe Pistone, November 14, 1989. [18][1], The Mafia put out a $500,000 contract on Pistone and kicked the Bonanno family off the Commission. So successful was he, in fact, that he almost became a "made guy"that is, a formal member of the Mafiabut the FBI pulled him out before this happened. He is responsible for coordinating and unifying teams from across business segments and enhancing alignment between the business, internal, and external tax teams. Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. Joseph A Pistone, 57 Resides in Huntington, NY Includes Address (6) Phone (5) Email (4) See Results Joseph A Pistone, 91 Resides in Alexandria, VA Lived In Falls Church VA Related To Annamarie Pistone, Richard Pistone, Marie Pistone Also known as Joseph A Tistone, Joe Pistone Includes Address (2) Phone (2) See Results Joseph A Pistone "We proved that they weren't invincible. Mobbed Up: A Donnie Brasco Novel, Onyx (New York, NY), 2000. Nowadays, Pistone says he's still busy writing and producing. November 24, 1994 is the most commonly cited death date, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, "Long mob war over jewelry collection likely to leave 'Mob Wives' star less than bedazzled", "TIGHT-HIT FAMILY CLOSE CUZ CHOSEN TO KILL 'BRASCO' WISEGUY", "FAMILY TIES MADE IT EASY TO WHACK CUZ: MOB THUG", "United States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. Here's what you need to know about FBI agent Joseph Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, including where he is today. ADDRESSES: Agentc/o Author Mail, Running Press, 125 S. 22nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103-4399. "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. Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia is out now on Netflix. A girlfriend's rich brother had provided the boat, Pistone explained. In this episode, Gary interviews the famous retired FBI Agent Joe Pistone aka Donnie Brasko, and his podcasting partner Leo Rossi. Using his Brasco persona as a character and his real-life experiences as a point of departure, Pistone creates a story in which Brasco is forced undercover by a contract on his life. [10], The FBI then ordered the end of Pistone's operation. Ruggiero relished life as a mobster. 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. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. Video related to what happened to the fbi agent who took down the bonanno crime family? [35], In May 2020, Pistone started a podcast called Deep Cover: The Real Donnie Brasco. 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. In 1979, Bonanno boss Carmine Galante was murdered, creating a power vacuum in the family. As far as we know, Joseph Pistone is alive and well. Then, about midway through the decade, enter FBI special agent Joseph D. Pistone. The FBI gave Pistone a new identity as a small, but successful, jewel thief and burglar called Donnie Brasco. [Music] you wake up in the morning is today today I go to jail or today the day I get killed I've died for you 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. Several months before,. Unfinished Business: The Donnie Brasco Story, Running Press (Philadelphia, PA), 2006. He wanted to stay undercover. They killed the other Bonano guy by the name of Tony Mirra, and (Lefty) Ruggerio was on his way to a meet where they were going to kill him. According to Biography, during his time undercover he was allowed to see his wife, Maggie, and three daughters once every three or four months. His father, Fiori Ruggiero worked as a truck driver and his mother, Frances, was a household . 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. But he has continued to work as an FBI consultant and has also consulted for Scotland Yard, according to the Sunday Mirror. By the late '80s, his assignment complete, Pistone wrote a bestselling book about it. "I don't have an axe to grind," he later told Michael Arena of in Newsday. 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. The way I travel, the way I meet people, the places I go. The original story aired in 2007 on KLAS-TV In Las Vegas, NV. He was also of full Sicilian descent. "If you don't have that, you're not going to make it. 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 . 1939(? The reality of Donnie Brasco is based around the true story of Joe Pistone, an FBI agent that went deep undercover to infiltrate one of the most influential crime families in America back in. The son of a bar manager, Pistone came from a working-class background in Paterson, New Jersey. By 1977, Ruggiero owed Marangello $160,000. Joe Pistone wrote about his undercover experience in his bookDonnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. The first guy comes at me again, I clock him with a bottle. You hang around the clubs, the neighborhood, they're just guys. [3] Pistone was an FBI agent for 17 years, from 1969 until he resigned in 1986. Library Journal, May 1, 2004, Jim Burns, review of The Way of the Wiseguy, p. 127. Prosecutions began in 1982. During the 1970s, he purchased a social club in Little Italy. The subjects' lives are characterized by severe boredom, punctuated with moments of sheer terror. Pistones undercover work ultimately led to more than 100 federal convictions. Nevada landed in UFO spotlight 75 years ago, Skinwalker Ranch and the hitchhiker effect. "So the premise was, 'Well, let's go after the fences and try to find out where the loads were going, or when they were going to get hijacked. [5][6] He is of Calabrian and Sicilian heritage, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey,[3][5] where he attended Eastside High School. [2] Ruggiero was arrested by the FBI on August 29, 1981. Encyclopedia.com. March 4 (UPI) -- Three children are dead and two others remain hospitalized Saturday after a domestic incident in a North Texas town, authorities said. He has an Irish-American wife named Maggie who was his high school girlfriend and married to him in 1961. Befriending Lefty, The Bonanno Crime Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. 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". Photo courtesy FBI, Pennsylvania woman missing for more than 30 years found in Puerto Rico. 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. Literary Group International Web site, http://www.theliterarygroup.com/ (December 6, 2005), biography of Joseph D. Pistone. ", Then there was the incident, as Brand also reported, when Time magazine itself very nearly got Brasco killed. In November 1982, Ruggiero was sentenced to 15 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy; he was released in April 1993 before his death from cancer. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/pistone-joseph-d-1939. [1] Although Pistone resigned from the FBI in 1986, he continued to testify when called upon,[23] including at the Pizza Connection Trial. "Look, nobody ever envisioned anyone ever being able to infiltrate a Mafia family other than as an informant, turning somebody within their own confines," he said. When DiGiaimo heard in 1982 about an unnamed agent due to testify regarding his infiltration of the Mob, he said, "I'm wondering, could it be Joe? Grisham, John 1955 Ruggiero earned his nickname "Lefty" from tossing dice left-handed while playing craps. As witnessed by Pistone, daily life for the rank-and-file mobster is as dreary as toiling on an assembly line." Ruggiero was born on April 19, 1926, in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, and grew up in the Knickerbocker Village private housing development in Little Italy, Manhattan. In the book, Pistone chronicles his undercover operation infiltrating the Bonanno Crime Family one of the five crime families in NYC. [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. [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. He's got a new true-crime podcast series hosted by actor Leo Rossi called Deep Cover: The Real Donnie Brasco, in which he talks about everything related to the case. American Mafia.com, http://www.americanmafia.com/ (December 6, 2005), biography of Joseph D. Pistone. "Johnny [Depp] called me maybe four times," DiGiaimo told Jason Cochran in Entertainment Weekly, to ask, "Are you sure Joe likes what I did?" Loosely based on a true story, Joseph Pistone is an FBI agent who wants to infiltrate the Bonanno crime family. Needless to say, Lefty was shocked when he found out that his friend Donnie was really an FBI agent. The motion picture, which also features Al Pacino and Michael Madsen, as Pistone's Mob associates Benjamin "Lefty Guns" Ruggiero and Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, has been lauded by critics for its realism. 36 reviews 4 followers March 29, 2022 This is the book version of the motion picture by the same name. The murder side. 76K views 1 year ago Ex Jewel Thief, mob earner, and prisoner Larry Lawton interviews the real Donnie Brasco - Joe Pistone. Ruggiero once nearly discovered Brasco's true identity. Joe Pistone is one of the FBI's most celebrated undercover agents. Brasco served as best man at Ruggiero's 1977 wedding and frequently advised Ruggiero on handling his son Tommy's heroin addiction. Although the case essentially helped bring down the five major New York Mafia families and ended an infamous era of impunity for the mob, the goals of the sting initially were anything but lofty. 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 [5] Pistone's original mission had been to infiltrate truck hijacking and fencing rings. Joseph Pistone Spent Six Years Inside the Mafia and Lived to Tell the Tale . After Galante's murder, Philip Rastelli took over, running the organization from prison. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 50s Joseph Pistone Jackson, NJ View Full Report Addresses Laurelton Ave, Jackson, NJ NW 11th St, Pembroke Pines, FL The truth is Donnie Brasco was the under-cover name for Joe Pistone. 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. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia membersand some responsible for his infiltration were also killed by other mobsters. "The first Godfather was like an opera -- every scene was like an opera," he says. After getting a bachelor's in education, Joe Pistone, a Jersey boy, was making his mark as a teacher in the mid-1960s: grading papers, taking attendance and telling kids to quiet down. I just don't waltz around but I don't constantly worry about it.". However, the date of retrieval is often important. Joseph D. Pistone. Pistone has been active as an author and consultant to worldwide law enforcement agencies, including Scotland Yard,[27] and has been called to testify before the United States Senate as an expert on organized crime. 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. ." Through sheer tenacity, Pistone infiltrated deep inside the New York Mafia over a six-year period and abandoned his personal life in the process, effectively becoming someone else. 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. Agent Joe Pistone infiltrated the Bonanno Crime Family. [24], While Pistone's infiltration decimated the Bonanno family, the family was consequently not a main target in the Mafia Commission Trial that saw the top leadership of the Five Families sent to prison, as the Bonannos had already been kicked off the Commission. In an undisclosed location, Joe Pistone and Patrick Bet-David talk about the Mafia and how Joe Pistone went undercover for 6 years as an FBI agent infiltrati. 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. Joe Pistone, undercover as Donnie Brasco (sitting), on the Abscam boat off the coast of Miami with another undercover agent, John Ligato (episode 21), and two Cleveland wise guys. "The Biggest Mutt In The History Of The Mafia". Synopsis. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [A pseudonym] 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. ." Around the time Ruggiero became a made member in the Bonanno family, Anthony Mirra introduced him to Joseph Pistone. [36], "Donnie Brasco" redirects here. Eugene S. Robinson. ) This true story follows FBI agent Joe Pistone as he infiltrates the mafia of New York. 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. Joseph Pistone was born September 17, 1939. His task was to learn who was who in the hierarchy of the Bonanno crime family, one of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City. Ruggiero reportedly owned a cigarette boat that he kept docked on the East River in New York. Now 78, Pistone is arguably the most influential law enforcement officer in American history, exceeding the likes of Wyatt Earp and Eliot Ness. (February 23, 2023). [11][2] However, Pistone's superiors decided that the operation was becoming too dangerous and set an end date of July 26, 1981. According to Pistone, the murderers were Napolitano, John Cersani, Joe Massino, Sal Vitale, Joseph DeSimone, Gerlando Sciascia, Nicholas Santora, Vito Rizzuto, Louis Giongetti, and Santo Giordano. And luckily, the FBI overheard the conversation. [5][1] After extensive preparation including FBI gemology courses, he went undercover as a jewel thief. But while he was undercover, Pistone nearly became a made man, i.e. This undercover work led to the arrest of over 30 people in February 1976. Span added ruefully that "he says writing is much harder work'it's tedious'than fooling bad guys.". Pistone had the credentials to fit in: not only his heritage (non-Italians cannot be "made" in the Mafia), but his background and his way of speech, which qualified him as a Mafia type. Pistone, Joseph D.; & Brandt, Charles (2007). 460 of 464 found this interesting | Share this Al Pacino was originally going to play Brasco. For more information on booking Joe Pistone for one of your events, call our office at (646) 397- 2068. Due to his gambling problem, Ruggiero was always trying to hide his few assets from his creditors Marangello and Sabella. "Don't forget the family in Milwaukee we took down, and we brought down the Trafficantes in Florida. He quickly moved toward undercover work and found himself at the right place at the right time. By the 1970s, Ruggiero had acquired a gambling dependency. Previous John Gotti, Junior interviewed by 60 minutes. 17 days later, they killed Sonny black, Pistone said during a 2007 interview. As for his safety, Pistone doesnt worry as much as he used to, as all those mafia guys and their associates are a long time dead or in prison for life, Pistone said, but he added, The only thing I worry about is that some cowboy trying to make a name for himself will take a shot at me just to say to the world I killed the famous Donnie Brasco. Im not worried, but hey I still keep a low profile. "I take precautions, a lot of precautions. It was the bureau's final cue to pull him out. [15][16] About Napolitano's fate, Pistone had stated, "My intention in all of this was to put people in jail, not get them killed". [4] Pistone detailed his undercover experience in his 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, the basis of the 1997 film about his life. 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." As for the testing, that continued throughout his five years. At least 5 dead following year's first severe spring weather outbreak. And then, DiGiaimo recalled: "After a few months he disappeared. [6][12] Ruggiero refused to believe that Donnie Brasco was a special agent in the FBI and not his associate. You have to have a lot of patience. Washington Monthly, June, 1988, Selwyn Raab, review of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, p. 58. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. Brasco started working for Ruggiero, placing bets and helping him make collections for the bookmaking operation in Ruggiero's social club. So began a Washington Postprofile of Joseph D. Pistone, one of many articles that were written following the 1997 release of the film Donnie Brasco, which starred Johnny Depp as Pistone. All Clips. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Updated February 18, 2022 - 9:40 pm. Advertisement. ADAPTATIONS: Donnie Brasco was released as a motion picture, directed by Mike Newell and starring Johnnie Depp as Pistone, 1997. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There is a reason for this authenticity: the hero of the tale, and the events in which he participated, are all real. He managed to get out of most of them, though the FBI did have to stage a fake killing once. Pistone was a consultant on the film to help Depp and Pacino develop their characters. Lefty Ruggiero (born Benjamin Ruggiero; April 19, 1926 November 24, 1994[nb 1]) was an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family. Pistone resigned from the FBI in 1986, but returned in 1992 and spent four more years as an agent. Pistone was an undercover FBI agent posing as an expert jewel thief named Donnie Brasco. In 1979, Ruggiero converted his social club into a candy store and gave it to one of his daughters to manage. And the entire time, he had to live completely away from his wife and girls. ) Congressmen taking bribes. Pistone, Joseph D., with Richard Woodley, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, New American Library, 1987. Joseph Pistone in New York We found 11 records for Joseph Pistone in Salisbury Mills, Wantagh and 9 other cities in New York. According to Cochran, Pistone "cranks back a slow nod, like a wiseguy [gangster]. 'Better than 100 percent,' he murmurs." 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). Pistone insisted to Lefty that the boat was not the same one and later covered himself by saying that he had been smarter than the congressman and had "beat those FBI guys.". The evidence that was collected by him led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members - and some, who were responsible for his infiltration, were, unfortunately, murdered.