Being Donnie Brasco: Joe Pistone Tells All

The FOX True Crime Podcast w/ Emily Compagno

Fox News

True Crime

4.8 • 708 Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Bonanno crime family was one of the most feared crime syndicates within the New York City mafia scene. In 1976, a low-level jewel thief by the name of Donnie Brasco caught the attention of Lefty Ruggerio, a Bonanno family soldier. He took Donnie under his wing, taught him the Bonanno way of life, and even opened the door for him to become a "made man" for the family. Unbeknownst to the family, Donnie had a secret of his own. Former FBI Agent Joe Pistone reflects on his famous undercover work under the Donnie Brasco alias, separates fact from fiction when it comes to the mafia, and discusses the hardships associated with his line of work. Joe Pistone joined the FBI in 1969 and became a pioneer in the bureau's undercover work. Joe was recognized for his successful work within the FBI, receiving the U.S. Attorney General’s J. Edgar Hoover Award, as well as the FBI Medal of Valor. Pistone wrote several books detailing his experiences with the mafia, including Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life In The Mafia, and The Way Of The Wise Guy. Joe Pistone's infiltration of the Bonanno crime family later became the basis for the 1997 film, Donnie Brasco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:17.5	From startups to scaleups, online, in, and on the go. Shopify is made for
0:22.9	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup. In 1976, in New York's Little Italy, a stranger had arrived to the city's mafia scene.
0:44.8	Donnie Brasco was a Sicilian low-level jewelry thief who frequented bars around the area.
0:51.2	Donnie eventually caught the attention of Benjamin Lefty Regerio, a soldier for the infamous Bonanno
0:56.6	Crime Family.
0:58.2	Ruggiero went on to take Donnie under his wing, teaching him the Bonano way of life.
1:04.0	After spending years with some of the most influential members of the Bonano regime,
1:09.0	Donnie was invited to become a made man within the family,
1:12.6	a membership that would be sponsored by none other than Lefty himself.
1:16.6	However, unbeknownst to the Bonano family, Donnie Brasco was living a double life.
1:22.6	His true identity was Joe Pistone, a man now revered for one of the most dangerous and successful
1:29.9	undercover missions in FBI history. I'm Emily Campano, and this is the Fox True Crime podcast. The
1:47.0	The Joe Pistone entered the FBI in 1969 and became a pioneer in the Bureau's undercover missions.
2:11.8	His infamous infiltration of the Banana Crime family was an assignment which lasted six years.
2:18.0	His commitment to gathering evidence and intelligence for the FBI was unmatched.
2:22.9	Each day Joe spent undercover, he risked his life doing so.
2:27.6	If recognized by the wrong person, if a recording device was found, if a mistake in his
2:32.9	story was detected, Joe would have been killed.
2:39.5	In 1981, the Bureau ended his undercover work before he could become a maid man, as entry
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