He participated in the highest number of undercover cases in FBI history. Undercover Agent Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco. The ATF investigated Dobyns himself as a suspect in the arson. The gangsters also brought in and beat up Zavala, Camarenas pilot. In the early 1980s, in what he called Operation Padrino, Camarena arranged for U.S. agents to seize international bank accounts held by wealthy cartel drug lords. A three-year long Internal Affairs investigation proved this to be only the tip of the iceberg. Then the police pinched Al himself following his 1931 indictment on tax charges. Michael Malone had all the makings of an undercover agent who would successfully infiltrate Al Capones Chicago gang for nearly two years. "I had a legend but it could not be verified," he says. He would update Moscow Centre on his progress in weekly radio transmissions, or letters in secret writing, and deposit microfilm at dead drop sites in various New York parks, where he would also periodically pick up canisters stuffed with cash or the fake passports he needed for his trips back to Moscow for debriefing. Based on the book, actor Johnny Depp portrayed Pistone in the 1997 feature film Donnie Brasco, with Al Pacino as Ruggerio. And I am finally getting to live the life that I should have lived a long time ago. The . And, finally, one day, it did. While he had fallen for the American Dream and the trappings of the consumer society, he still had some conflicting feelings. Pistones journey while undercover, impersonating a mobbed-up jewel thief, would last an incredible five years, from 1976 to 1981, during which he penetrated the upper levels of the Bonnano organization. The original pre-Code era drama film is loosely based on the life of the real Mata Hari, an exotic dancer executed for espionage during World War I. What follows here is a list of five remarkable individuals whose undercover operations, despite real dangers, resulted in the convictions of leaders and associates of organized crime, over almost a century. One morning, on a subway platform a resident agent delivered a chilling message: "You have got to come home or else you're dead. The corethe leadershipwas often untouchable because of the Mafias code of silence. Garcias efforts inside the Gambino crew paid off big time. In 1933, Irey assigned him to find fugitive New York gangster Waxey Gordon, wanted for tax evasion. Ostensibly a CIA analyst, Ryan inevitably ends up in the thick of the action, whether hes on the trail of a stolen soviet submarine, saving members of the British royal family from assassins or foiling terrorist plots. Other undercover roles of his ended in the arrests of a Mexican drug boss and members of the Aryan Brotherhood gang. By providing stolen property for DePalma to sell for cash, Garcia convinced him that Jack Falcone was an experienced jewelry thief and fencer from Miami. Although experiencing some unpleasant situations that Bond has skilfully managed to avoid in his own career (see Ian Flemings original Live and Let Die novel and 1989s unusually violent Licence to Kill), Leiter remains an affable counterpoint to 007s icy resolve. They trusted him so much they offered to make him a member of the Angels Skull Valley Chapter. Some, he says, could still be out there, living undercover in the United States, though he finds it hard to believe that anyone exposed to life in the US would retain an unwavering communist faith for long. There, the cops nabbed Nitti, later sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion. Dobyns certainly had the physical part down with his beard and six-foot, one-inch frame he used as an all-conference football player for the University of Arizona. Her performance brings grit and humor to director Luc Bessons glossy action. He believes about "10 to 12" agents were trained up at the same time as him. It requires an unusual kind of person, able to work under stress, stay focused, pull off the character he or she is playing and be prepared to tell many lies. He cannot resist a smile at the thought of telling his KGB handlers that he has not been such a failure after all. Initially a drug-addled drop-out, Nikita (Anne Parilaud) is given a stark choice: either train to become an operative or die in prison. 1 Vancito Gumbs. The secret agents new acquaintances included big-shot hoods Nitti, Machine Gun Jack McGurn, Jake Greasy Thumb Guzik, Paul The Waiter Ricca, Murray The Camel Humphreys and Sam Golf Bag Hunt. Barsky is now married for a third time and has a young daughter. Elmer Irey, chief of the Intelligence Unit, had worked with undercover agent Malone on Prohibition cases. Prosecutors considered him crucial to convicting 21 defendants in the Pizza Connection case of pizzerias used to traffic in heroin and launder money for the Sicilian Mafia. Lee also gets to indulge in all the activities youd expect from a seasoned spy; under the pretext of entering a martial arts tournament, he infiltrates the island lair of an evil villain named Han. Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty Votes: 187,582 | Gross: $43.22M 10. The special master in a report said that the first case was fair enough and required no further probe into the federal government. The evidence he delivered for the FBI resulted in the arrest of 32 Gambino members and associates, including DePalma, Gambino boss Arnold Zeke Squitieri and underboss Anthony The Genius Megale. His experience would eventually prompt the mobsters in New York to put out a $500,000 contract for his murder, but it never happened. Pistone endured the rigorous course alongside recruits in their 20s. Mortal enemies at first, then reluctant partners, their constant rivalry and spark of chemistry is the defining element in Ritchies glossy reboot. His target was the powerful Guadalajara drug cartel (which later evolved into the Sinaloa cartel). Barsky would later use his handlers' prejudices and ignorance of American society against them. Met Life almost felt like home, he says, "because it was a very paternalistic, 'we take care of you' kind of a culture". And another child. A trained officer knows how to strategize, win the confidence of their targets and get them to reveal whats needed to build a case to take to trial. For Jay Dobyns, fitting in with the infamous biker gang the Hells Angels for almost two years meant adhering to his undercover alter ego, Jay Bird Davis, to the point of obsession. They informed Capone. Coaxed out of retirement because a superior agent isnt available (0008), Flints a quintessentially 60s spy unflappable, flirty, and handy with a karate chop. Thanks to amalgam of both great writing, acting and direction, Joe Turner emerges as one of the most watchable agents of film history. His undercover penetration of the Angels lasted more than 20 months, one of the longest ever for the ATF. Tasker isnt the most subtle of secret agents, but hes probably one of the most creative when it comes to moments of crisis. 2023 BBC. So I was always waiting to eventually find the real evil people and I didn't even find them in the insurance company.". While playing his part, Pistone could have been seen with the wrong person or been recognized by someone he knew. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The new film A Call to Spy, produced, written by and starring Sarah Megan Thomas as Hall and directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher, takes inspiration from the heroic stories of these two spies who made . Robert Redford plays him as a CIA analyst utterly unprepared for the world of violence and murder thrust upon him. The next year, Dobynss wife and two kids barely escaped after someone firebombed the family home in Tucson. Set in the midst of World War I, Secret Agent sees Gielguds army captain Edgar Brodie despatched to covertly track down a German agent en route to Arabia. And Dittrich began his new life as Jack Barsky. He was a man with no past and no identification papers - except for a birth certificate obtained by an employee of the Soviet embassy in Washington, who had kept his eyes open during a walk in the Mount Lebanon cemetery. He might have let a word slip. Malone remained disguised within Capones bootlegging band even for a time after the feds filed tax charges against Capone, Nitti and Capones brother, Ralph, in 1931. Its a common approach in spy thrillers to throw an ordinary person into an extraordinary situation for some classic examples, see Alfred Hitchcocks North by Northwest or Sidney Pollacks Three Days of the Condor. And they knew how to do that. Caught stealing sensitive documents from the FBI, Mason is incarcerated for 33 years and eventually dug out for a new mission, older but still cool under fire and always ready with a witty retort. But he is more well-known in death than in life. His work decimated the Bonannos, one of New Yorks five major crime families. While the James Bond series took an extended break from 1989 until the mid-1990s, Hollywood megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped in to fill the breach. Malone listened and reported to Wilson about Capones scheme to bribe and fix the jury in his favor. Deservingly, Oldman was nominated for an Academy Award for his outstanding turn here. "Yet I was able to observe and listen and become more familiar with American customs. "I was trying to repair a marriage that was slowly falling apart. "I also told the Russians in the same letter that I would not defect, I would not give up any secrets. And all of thats what makes her so compelling to watch. There, he engages in moonlit reconnaissance missions, uncovers a huge drug operation, and engages the cat-stroking Han (Shih Kien) in mortal combat. Tragically, the star died on July 20, 1973 just six days before Enter The Dragon appeared in theaters. ), Schwarzenegger plays the particularly brawny Harry Tasker a covert operative who pretends to his wife and daughter that hes a computer salesman. The FBI watched him for more than three years, even buying the house next door to his as they tried to figure out whether he really was a KGB agent and, if so, whether he was still active. Pistone had fooled them all with a masterful acting job that had begun in 1976 and lasted six long years. After stepping out of his car, he was approached by a man in civilian clothes, who held up a badge and said in a calm voice: "Special agent Reilly, FBI. Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, The Top 25 Secret Agents in Movie History. Barsky had supreme self-confidence, a near-flawless American accent, and $10,000 in cash. In Camarenas honor, in 1985 the National Family Partnership started the National Red Ribbon Campaign, a volunteer anti-drug use and education effort that urges youths to recite a pledge to refrain from drugs, and celebrates Red Ribbon Week on drug awareness each October. Moles. Malone posed as gangster from Chicago in hiding, with money to invest in illegal booze. An official website of the United States government. During the fall of 1984, Quintero held meetings with top cartel traffickers Gallardo, Ernesto Don Neto Fonseco Carrillo and Ruben Zuno Arce. The agency assigned agent Joseph Joe Pistone to go undercover for six months to find out where the Mob-connected thieves took the stolen cargo. Terrified that his cover might be blown, he scooped up any documents with his name on them and marched out of the office in a feigned temper at all this red tape. He communicated using the street smarts he absorbed growing up as a working-class Italian-American kid in Paterson, New Jersey, where he went to Italian social clubs and encountered local hoods. Perhaps because of the gravity of the investigations, and the financial resources required, all of these undercover officers worked for agencies of the U.S. government. Based on the picture, the Angels took the bait and let them hang out and ride with them. For millennia, China was a major target, with its silk, tea, and porcelain manufacturing secrets. This was for Barsky was to study for a degree and gradually work his way up the social order to the point where he could gather useful intelligence - a mission he describes as "nearly impossible". MMA fighter Gina Carano turned action hero in Steven Soderberghs Haywire. Malone, assigned to find him, followed Nittis wife to an apartment building in Berwyn, Illinois. Dobyns teamed with another ATF agent, two other undercover officers and a pair of paid informants. In New York City during the mid-1970s, the FBI investigated a rash of truck hijackings happening each day. At that point, I would have been in a situation to socialise with people that were of value.". Malone, whose parents came over from Ireland, grew up in New Jersey and meshed well with its European immigrants, eventually learning to speak Gaelic, Italian, Yiddish and Greek. "By chance it turned out that the messenger job was actually really good for me to become Americanised because I was interacting with people who didn't care much where I came from, what my history was, where I was going," he says. The myth of the "Great Illegals" - heroic undercover agents who had helped Russia defeat the Nazis and gather vital pre-war intelligence in hostile countries - loomed large over the Soviet intelligence agencies, who spent a lot of time and effort during the Cold War trying to recapture these former glories, with apparently limited success. Joe Pistone is one of the FBI's most celebrated undercover agents. The museum also worked with the FBI and three famous undercover agents who fought the Mob, including Joe Pistone, made famous by the movie "Donnie Brasco." The museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2017. 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