Nate Hendley on Joe Pistone

In this episode noted Mob author and historian, Nate Hendley and Gary discuss the boring life of a mobster. Nate points out that Joe Pistone wrote in his book, Donnie Brasco, about how the Bonanno crew sat around a social club or bar all day exchanging small talk, gossip, other mob stories, and possible scores. He was allowed into this crew by a made guy named Anthony Mirra.Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero took Pistone under his wing and instructed him in the ways of the Mafia. They worked under a capo named Mike “Mimi” Sabella. Later Pistone reported to captain Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano. After Pistone surfaced, the Bonanno family held “Sonny Black” responsible for Pistone being accepted and trusted by his crew. They murdered him for his mistake.

Cops and mobsters are not so different

When we scratch the surface of any mob guy, underneath, we find the day to day life is basically the same repetitive boring existence that most folks fell on a daily basis. I liken it to the life of a street police officer, hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror, and then a few more minutes of exhilaration mixed with a gut-wrenching fear that we all hide pretty well.

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