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Joseph D. Pistone
FBI surveillance photo of Pistone as Donnie Brasco
Born	Joseph Dominick Pistone (1939-09-17) September 17, 1939 (age 85) Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	"Donnie Brasco"
Alma mater	Paterson State College
Occupation	FBI special agent
Years active	1969–1986
Known for	Undercover work infiltrating the Bonanno crime family
Notable work	Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia
Spouse	Maggie Pistone
Children	3

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 under the tutelage of Anthony Mirra and later Dominick Napolitano, 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 resigned in 1986. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members, and some responsible for his infiltration were also killed by other mobsters.

Pistone was a pioneer in long-term undercover work. The FBI's former director, J. Edgar Hoover, who died in 1972, did not want FBI agents to work undercover because of the danger of agents becoming corrupted. Nonetheless, Pistone's work later helped convince the FBI that using undercover agents in lieu of relying exclusively on informants was a crucial tool in law enforcement. 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.

Early life and career

Pistone was born in 1939 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is of Italian heritage: his father was from Calabria while his mother from Sicily, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, where he attended Eastside High School. He attended Paterson State College (now William Paterson University), obtaining a degree in anthropology in 1965.

He worked for a year as a teacher at Paterson School No. 10 and at the Office of Naval Intelligence for three years before being sworn into the FBI on July 7, 1969, and assigned to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1974, he was transferred to New York to work in the truck and hijack unit. 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.

FBI career as Donnie Brasco

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. For the undercover operation, the false identity of Donald "Donnie" Brasco was created, with a backstory that involved work as a low-level jewel thief. After extensive preparation including FBI gemology courses, he went undercover as a jewel thief.

The operation was given the code name "Sun-Apple" after the locations of its two simultaneous operations: Miami ("Sunny Miami") and New York City ("The Big Apple"). After months of planning, in September 1976, Pistone started his undercover operation—an operation that was initially intended to last for around six months turned into several years. 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. His co-workers, friends, and informants had no idea what had happened to him. The original focus of the operation was to infiltrate big-time fences and truck hijackings that would in turn lead to the Mafia. While Pistone was undercover, he informed on the activities of the Mafia during some of the most volatile power struggles in organized crime.

Pistone worked his way into becoming an associate in Jilly Greca's crew from the Colombo family that was primarily involved in hijackings and robberies. After about six months, Pistone shifted to the Bonanno family by developing a relationship with Anthony Mirra. 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. Pistone also had vending machine dealings with Frank Balistrieri of the Milwaukee crime family. After the 1979 murder of Carmine Galante, Pistone reported to captain Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano.

Pistone was responsible for a lucrative business venture in Holiday, Florida, when he opened and operated the King's Court Bottle Club. In Florida, Pistone worked with another FBI agent working undercover as Tony Rossi. Napolitano later contracted Pistone, whom he hoped to make a made man, to murder Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato's son, Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, who had previously evaded death after missing a May 1981 meeting which left Indelicato, Phillip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera dead.

The FBI then ordered the end of Pistone's operation. He wanted to continue until he was set to become a made man that December; Napolitano would lie about his "making his bones" (participating in a Mafia-ordered hit) to prove his loyalty. However, Pistone's superiors decided that the operation was becoming too dangerous and set an end date of July 26, 1981. Only after Pistone departed did FBI agents Doug Fencl, Jim Kinne, and Jerry Loar inform Napolitano that his longtime associate was an FBI agent. Pistone received a $500 bonus at the end of the operation.

Aftermath

Shortly thereafter, on August 17, 1981, Napolitano was murdered for having allowed an FBI agent to infiltrate the family; he was shot dead and his hands were cut off. Ruggiero was arrested by the FBI on August 29, 1981. Mirra was also later killed on February 18, 1982. About Napolitano's fate, Pistone had stated, "My intention in all of this was to put people in jail, not get them killed". 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.

The Mafia put out a $500,000 contract on Pistone and kicked the Bonanno family off the Commission. FBI agents visited Mafia bosses in New York and advised them not to murder Pistone. The contract was dropped by Paul Castellano, who headed the Commission, as he thought killing a federal agent would "attract too much attention". Pistone publicly testified for the first time on August 2, 1982. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members. Although Pistone resigned from the FBI in 1986, he continued to testify when called upon, including at the Pizza Connection Trial.

While Pistone's infiltration decimated the Bonanno family, it also resulted in their expulsion from the Mafia Commission. Consequently, the Bonannos were not a target of the investigation leading to the Mafia Commission Trial that saw the top leadership of the "Five Families" sent to prison. By dodging this bullet, the family kept its leadership intact and was able to consolidate its power once again. The boss who led that resurgence, Joseph Massino, was convicted in 2004 of ordering Napolitano to be killed for allowing Pistone into the family.

Pistone lives in an undisclosed location with his wife Maggie and their three daughters, under assumed names. Pistone has been active as an author and consultant to worldwide law enforcement agencies, including Scotland Yard, and has been called to testify before the United States Senate as an expert on organized crime.

In September 2012, Pistone testified in Montreal, Quebec, at the Charbonneau Commission public inquiry into corruption, as an expert witness.

Media

Pistone detailed his undercover experience in his 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. 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. 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). Pistone was a consultant on Donnie Brasco to add authenticity to the fictionalized portrayals and settings. His life was used in an episode of FBI: The Untold Stories.

Pistone revisited his experiences as Donnie Brasco in his books The Way of the Wiseguy (2004) and Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business (2007, co-authored with Charles Brandt). Pistone wrote a novel titled The Good Guys (2005) with Joseph Bonanno's son, Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno. He has also written several works of fiction such as Deep Cover, Mobbed Up and Snake Eyes. He has served as an executive producer on movies relating to the Mafia, including the 2006 film 10th & Wolf. In 2008, Italian artist Rossella Biscotti interviewed Pistone in her video The Undercover Man. A play based on Donnie Brasco opened at the Pennsylvania Playhouse.

Pistone is featured in the eighth episode of UK history TV channel Yesterday's documentary series Mafia's Greatest Hits. 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.

Pistone featured prominently in the 2013 mini-series Inside the American Mob. He features prominently in episode 1 "Stayin' Alive in the '70s" and is the main focus of episode 2, "Operation Donnie Brasco".

In May 2020, Pistone started a podcast called Deep Cover: The Real Donnie Brasco.

Notes

1. In Pistone's first book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, he stated his mob infiltration started in September 1976, making his infiltration period about five years. However, in his last book Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business, he has stated that his mob infiltration started in 1975, making his infiltration period about six years.

References

1. ^ Pistone, Joseph D.; Woodley, Richard (1997). Donnie Brasco. Penguin Books. ISBN 9781101154069.
2. ^ "Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business". Orchard Press Mysteries. December 30, 2007. ISBN 9780786741199.
3. ^ Lovgren, Stefan (June 10, 2005). "FBI Agent 'Donnie Brasco' Recalls Life in the Mafia". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 15, 2005.
4. Pistone (1989), p. 112.
5. ^ Bennett, Charles (February 4, 2009). "Legendary Lawmen: Joe Pistone". Officer.com.
6. ^ "'Donnie Brasco' lives in shadows with price on head". macleans.ca. September 24, 2012.
7. Hamill, Denis. "Brighton Beach Memoir; Falcone, A New CBS-TV Series For The Fall, Comes To Life (and Death) On The Streets Of Brooklyn", New York Daily News, April 18, 1999. Accessed August 29, 2019. "Pistone is standing with childhood pal Lou DiGiaimo, a top casting director who is also one of five executive producers on the pilot, which will air in September. 'Oh, man, looking great,' says DiGiaimo. 'If it looks anything like yesterday's dailies, it'll be amazing,' says Pistone. These two men have been friends since Eastside High in Paterson, N.J., in the early '60s."
8. DeStefano 2007, pp. 112, 117
9. "Undercover Agent Describes Discussions of Mob Murders". The New York Times. August 5, 1982.
10. Raab, Selwyn (May 13, 2014). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. Macmillan. ISBN 9781429907989.
11. Pistone (1989), pp. 70–71.
12. Nate Hendley, American Gangsters, Then and Now: An Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2010) p. 192
13. DeStefano 2007, pp. 118–120
14. "United States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. 465 (S.D.N.Y. 1982)". January 19, 1982.
15. "Tight-hit Family – Close Cuz Chosen to Kill 'Brasco' Wiseguy". nypost.com. June 17, 2004.
16. "Family Ties Made It Easy to Whack Cuz: Mob Thug". nypost.com. June 17, 2004.
17. McPhee, Michele (January 19, 2003). "After 20 years, ex-agent applauds mob bust". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
18. "6 Get Jail Terms in Rackets Case Tied to Mobsters". The New York Times. November 16, 1982.
19. "Fact file: Who is Joe Pistone – a.k.a. Donnie Brasco?". globalnews.ca. September 24, 2012.
20. Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather- The FBI and Paul Castellano (May 1, 1992). "Boss of Bosses". Andris Kurins and Joseph F. O'Brien. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
21. "F.B.I. Agent, Dropping Disguise, Tells Court of Life Inside the Mob". The New York Times. August 3, 1982.
22. "F.B.I. Infiltrator Says Mob Chief Told of Slayings". The New York Times. August 4, 1982.
23. Pistone (1989), p. 400.
24. "Agent Tells About Tension in Bonanno Group". The New York Times. February 9, 1986.
25. Rashbaum, William (January 10, 2003). "Reputed Boss Of Mob Family Is Indicted". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
26. Marzulli, John (January 10, 2003). "Top Bonanno Charged In '81 Mobster Rubout". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
27. "Donnie Brasco' Agent Helping Scotland Yard". American Mafia. February 1, 2001. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
28. "Real life Donnie Brasco vows to find £250m stolen art haul". The Daily Record. March 25, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
29. "'Donnie Brasco' testifies at Quebec corruption inquiry". CBC News.
30. McShane, Larry (May 6, 2004). "Donnie Brasco's Mob Memory Lane". CBS News. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
31. Joe Gill (September 14, 2010). "A part of the Donnie Brasco story comes to Pennsylvania Playhouse". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
32. Joe Gill (October 29, 2010). "Review: The true Donnie Brasco comes to life on Pennsylvania Playhouse stage". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
33. Donnie Brascoe - Mafias Greatest Hits. "Donnie Brascoe - Mafia's Greatest Hits: Yesterday TV". Uktv.co.uk. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
34. "Secrets of the Dead. Gangland Graveyard". PBS. May 5, 1981. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
35. "Joe Pistone talks about Donnie Brasco on 'Inside the American Mob'". Usedview. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
36. "Deep Cover: The Real Donnie Brasco". January 17, 2023.

Bibliography

• DeStefano, Anthony M. (2008). King of the Godfathers: Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp. ISBN 9780806533094.
• Diehl, Christine S. (2006). "WP Has a "Sit-Down" with Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco" (PDF). WP. Vol. 7, no. 1. William Paterson University. pp. 16–19.
• Jacobs, D. Lea (2002). Friend of the Family: An Undercover Agent in the Mafia. Washington DC: Compass Press. ISBN 9780929590196.
• Pistone, Joseph D. (1989). Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, a True Story. New York: New American Library. ISBN 9780451157492.
• Pistone, Joseph D. (2005). The Way of The Wiseguy. Philadelphia: Running Press. ISBN 9780762423842.
• Pistone, Joseph D. (2008). Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business. London: Hachette. ISBN 9780786741199.
• Raab, Selwyn (2016). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781250101709.

v t e Italian-American Mafia
List of Mafia crime families Mafia bibliography
Families	Five Families of New York City Bonanno Calabrian group Motion Lounge crew New Springville Boys Sicilian group Colombo Colombo Gambino Baltimore Crew Ozone Park Boys Genovese 116th Street Crew Broadway Mob Greenwich Village Crew New Jersey faction Springfield faction Lucchese Brooklyn faction New Jersey faction Tanglewood Boys East Coast Buffalo DeCavalcante (Northern New Jersey) Patriarca (New England) (Angiulo's Boston crew) Philadelphia (10th & Oregon Crew) Midwestern/Western Chicago Detroit Kansas City Los Angeles Mostly defunct Bufalino (Northeastern Pennsylvania) Cleveland Colorado Dallas Genna (Chicago) Lanzetta (Philadelphia) Morello (Italian Harlem) D'Aquila (Little Italy, Manhattan) New Orleans Milwaukee Pittsburgh Rochester Rockford San Francisco San Jose St. Louis Trafficante (Tampa)
Structure	Chain of command The Commission Boss Underboss Consigliere Caporegime Soldato Associate Members (made men) List of Italian-American mobsters List of Italian-American mobsters by organization Terms Initiation ritual Made man Bagman Black Hand Black Hand in Chicago Vendetta Capo dei capi (boss of bosses) Mustache Pete Omertà One-way ride Sixth Family Zips
Events	Meetings Atlantic City Conference (1929) Havana Conference (1946) Apalachin meeting (1957) Palermo Mafia summit (1957) Hearings Kefauver Committee (1950–1951) Valachi hearings (1963) Wars Mafia–Camorra War (1914–1917) Castellammarese War (1929–1931) Trials Pizza Connection Trial (1985–1987) Mafia Commission Trial (1985–1986)
Closely related and affiliated organizations	Active Camorra Colacurcio Organization Commisso 'ndrina Cotroni crime family Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan Inzerillo Mafia clan Jewish Mafia Luppino crime family Musitano crime family 'Ndrangheta Papalia crime family Philadelphia Greek Mob Rizzuto crime family Sacra Corona Unita Sicilian Mafia Siderno Group Stidda Velentzas Organization Defunct Broadway Mob Bugs and Meyer Mob Bumpy Johnson gang New York Camorra The Corporation The Council Dutch Schultz Mob East Harlem Purple Gang Five Points Gang Forty-Two Gang Italian-American National Union Maceo Organization Marat Balagula gang Murder, Inc. National Crime Syndicate New Springville Boys Rudaj Organization South Brooklyn Boys Tanglewood Boys Unione Corse Westies Winter Hill Gang
Other topics	Government operations Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia Operation Family Secrets Operation Old Bridge Operation Solare Operation Underworld Operation Wasteland Crimes French Connection Hired Truck Program Lufthansa heist Saint Valentine's Day Massacre Rochester bombings Related articles Barrel murder Buster from Chicago Cement shoes Shotgun Man
Category

v t e Federal Bureau of Investigation
Field offices	Atlanta Buffalo Cincinnati Cleveland Tampa
Organization	Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch Criminal Investigative Division Critical Incident Response Group National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Behavioral Analysis Unit Child Abduction and Serial Murder Investigative Resources Center Violent Criminal Apprehension Program Hostage Rescue Team Crisis Negotiation Unit Special Weapons and Tactics Teams Hazardous Devices School Cyber Division Human Resources Branch Academy Behavioral Science Unit National Academy FBI Police National Security Branch Counterintelligence Division Counterterrorism Division Communications Exploitation Section High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group Terrorist Screening Center Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate Science and Technology Branch Criminal Justice Information Services Division National Crime Information Center Laboratory Division Other branches Information and Technology Branch Intelligence Branch
Technology	Airtel Bureaupedia Carnivore Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) Law Enforcement National Data Exchange (N-DEx) National Incident-Based Reporting System
Ranks	Director Deputy Director Special agent
Methods and activities	Abscam Bridgman Convention COINTELPRO FBI method of profiling Rod Blagojevich corruption charges FBI files on Michael Jackson FBI files on Elvis Presley FBI Miami shootout FBI search of Mar-a-Lago FBI Silvermaster File FBI Special Advisor Program FBI Victims Identification Project Guardian High-Value Interrogation Group Joint Terrorism Task Force Lindbergh kidnapping Ruby Ridge standoff Special Intelligence Service U.S. v. Scheinberg et al. (10 Cr. 336) Waco siege
People	Harry "Skip" Brandon Delf A. 'Jelly' Bryce Sibel Edmonds Mark Felt "Deep Throat" Helen Gandy Joseph L. Gormley Wesley Grapp J. Edgar Hoover David Icove Peter Strzok Clyde Tolson Joseph D. Pistone
Buildings	FBI Headquarters
Related	FBI portrayal in media G-Man Junior G-Men FBI–Apple encryption dispute FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
Other	Hogan's Alley

• 1939 births
• Bonanno crime family
• Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey) alumni
• Federal Bureau of Investigation agents
• Living people
• Organized crime memoirists
• People from Paterson, New Jersey
• People of the Office of Naval Intelligence
• William Paterson University alumni
• Writers from Erie, Pennsylvania
• American writers of Italian descent
• American memoirists
• Non-fiction writers about organized crime in the United States
• American male non-fiction writers
• People of Sicilian descent
• People of Calabrian descent