The Most Hated Man In The Mafia Is From New York Area

There was plenty of hate to go around in the New York mafia, between and among families, but one man was the most hated. He did what no one had done until that point, putting a target on his back.

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You may have heard of the mob movie Donnie Brasco, which came out in 1997. The film, which starred Johnny Depp and Al Pachino, was based on the 1988 nonfiction book "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." Here is the story of how the book's author, Joe Pistone, became the most hated man in the mafia.

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Joe Pistone was born in 1939, in Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1939. He grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, which is less than 25 miles from New York City. Pistone was inducted into the Federal Bureau of Investigation on July 7, 1969. Initially assigned to work in Jacksonville, Florida, he was transferred to New York City in 1974.

READ MORE: The 8 Most Infamous Crime Families in New York

Working as an FBI agent in New York City, Pistone worked undercover infiltrating a vehicle theft ring. His work resulted in 30 arrests and put a spotlight on his undercover skills, according to Wikipedia.

In 1976, the FBI office in New York City put Pistone undercover to try to infiltrate the five main Mafia families — Bonanno, Gambino, Colombo, Genovese, and Lucchese. The long-term undercover operation was the first of its kind. Pistone spent six years building trust with violent mob bosses to help the FBI gather information to bring them down. Pistone almost became a made man in the Bonanno crime family after getting close to Anthony Mirra and Dominick Napolitano. Previously he had been working with the Colombo crime family, According to the FBI, the operation was a success,

"The operation gave the FBI a window into the inner workings of the Mafia generally and the Bonanno family specifically (and to a lesser degree, some of the other families), not only in New York, but in Florida, Michigan, and elsewhere. The Bureau learned firsthand who the players were, what kinds of rackets they were running, and what rules they played by."

READ MORE: 8 Most Infamous Mafia Crime Family Bosses in Buffalo

Pistone had accomplished what no other FBI agent ever had - he infiltrated the mob so well that he was on track to become a made man. However, in order to be made, Pistone would have had to commit a contract murder. It was at that point that the FBI decided the operation had become too dangerous and pulled him out of the operation on July 26, 1981.

Pistone's work resulted in more than 100 federal convictions and the death of Bonanno crime family captain Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano.  Anthony Mirra, who had brought Pistone into the family, was also killed. The Bonanno family was also kicked out of The Commission (the bosses of mob families). The mafia put $500,000 on Pistone's head, but it was later removed after the FBI visited the bosses and advised them against it. You can read more about Joe Pistone here.

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