Feb 16 2007
Insights Into The Mafia With Donnie Brasco
The Bulletin was able to obtain an exclusive interview with one of America’s most famous and successful FBI agents, Joe Pistone, who is more commonly known as Donnie Brasco, the undercover FBI agent who put over 150 mobsters in prison and was played by Johnny Depp on the big screen. Former Agent Pistone has come out with his sixth book, Unfinished Business, published by local publisher, Running Press.
For anyone interested in the past and current state of the Italian Mafia, particularly the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia mobs, this book is a must read. Pistone himself looks like a character out of “The Sopranos” or “Goodfellas.”
The following is an interview that took place with Pistone while in Philadelphia to promote the book:
Bulletin: Why did you leave military intelligence to become a FBI agent?
Joe Pistone: Because I wanted to get into law enforcement! You see “NCIS” now, but they only focus on military personnel. I wanted to be an FBI agent because the wider variety of crimes and the real criminal aspect. Not the security end of it.
Bulletin: How long were you an agent?
JP: I was an agent for 27 years.
Bulletin: Why did you want to go undercover?
JP: Well, I was a natural. I didn’t join to become an undercover agent. They don’t recruit you for that. I was a natural from the background I grew up. Knowing the street and knowing mob guys when I grew up. I was good at recruiting mob guys when I was working the streets.
Bulletin: What was the best part of being undercover?
JP: I liked the challenge of it going one on one or one on five with gangsters. The toughest part was the mental challenge. You were talking with 20 to 25 guys a day. You had to remember when you told each guy so you weren’t caught in a lie.
