# Donnie Brasco and the Bonanno cases

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/donnie-brasco/

FBI agent Joseph Pistone's undercover years as "Donnie Brasco" and the federal cases that followed, from open federal records: the 1982 New York trial and its appeals, the FBI's 1980-1982 teletypes and reports, sworn testimony, the Commission briefing, and the later Massino and Basciano cases.

From 1976 to 1981 FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone worked inside the Bonanno family's New York and Florida circles as "Donnie Brasco." A federal court later summarized it: "In 1976, FBI Agent Joseph D. Pistone assumed the identity of Donnie Brasco, a jewel thief and burglar, and infiltrated the Bonanno Crime Family. Remarkably, he remained undercover for some six years" ([Cerasani v. Sony, 1998](/items/courtlistener-cerasani-v-sony-991-f-supp-343/)). This section files the federal records of that operation and of the Bonanno prosecutions that followed it. Each record has its own page, and the person pages quote the records. Pistone's memoir and the 1997 film are not sources here. See the person pages for [Joseph Pistone](/people/joseph-pistone/) and [Dominick Napolitano](/people/dominick-napolitano/), and the [Bonanno family](/families/bonanno/) page.

## The 1982 trial and its opinions

- [United States v. Napolitano, 552 F. Supp. 465](/items/courtlistener-us-v-napolitano-552-f-supp-465/) (S.D.N.Y. 1982), No. 81 Cr. 803: Judge Robert W. Sweet's pretrial rulings. The indictment charged the defendants as members or associates of "the Bonanno Family of La Cosa Nostra." The opinion records that "Ruggiero had been told that an FBI agent, Donnie Brasco, had infiltrated his activities," and that Napolitano was a fugitive.
- [United States v. Ruggiero, 754 F.2d 927](/items/courtlistener-us-v-ruggiero-754-f2d-927/) (11th Cir. 1985): the verdicts in New York, with Ruggiero convicted of RICO conspiracy and sentenced to fifteen years and Cerasani acquitted. The Second Circuit affirmed Ruggiero's conviction in [United States v. Ruggiero, 726 F.2d 913](/items/courtlistener-us-v-ruggiero-726-f2d-913/) (2d Cir. 1984). It summarizes the July 1982 indictment's account of the May 1981 murders and gives the Florida indictment's charges, including the Kings Court Club in Holiday, Florida.
- [United States v. Indelicato, 865 F.2d 1370](/items/courtlistener-us-v-indelicato-865-f2d-1370/) (2d Cir. 1989, en banc): Anthony Indelicato's appeal in the Commission case, with the court's account of the 1979 Galante killing and the promotions that followed. The panel opinion is [United States v. Salerno, 868 F.2d 524](/items/us-v-salerno-868-f2d-524/).
- [Cerasani v. Sony Corp., 991 F. Supp. 343](/items/courtlistener-cerasani-v-sony-991-f-supp-343/) (S.D.N.Y. 1998): a libel suit over the film. The court's account of the 1982 trial record, and the acquittal of the plaintiff on all charges.
- The Milwaukee side is in the Seventh Circuit's opinions in [United States v. Balistrieri, 778 F.2d 1226](/items/courtlistener-us-v-balistrieri-778-f2d-1226/) and [779 F.2d 1191](/items/courtlistener-us-v-balistrieri-779-f2d-1191/).

## The FBI Vault: Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01

Part 01 is filed [as a whole](/items/fbi-vault-donnie-brasco-p01-1980/), and these pages are filed by viewer page:

- [Pages 11 to 15](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp11-15-body-recorder-1980/), July and August 1980: the request for the undercover agent to wear a body recorder. Page 12 calls Napolitano "acting boss"; page 15 calls him "acting underboss." Both page images are stored.
- [Pages 97 and 98](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp97-98-power-struggle-1981/), June 1, 1981: "a power struggle that has resulted in the deaths of three family capos."
- [Pages 133 to 136](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp133-136-killings-1981/), May and June 1981: the source report of the killings "on or about May 5, 1981," the contract on Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato, and the surveillance of Ruggiero's flight to Montreal.
- [Pages 148 to 154](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp148-154-genus-1981/), June 1981: the GENUS teletype listing the New York cases against the family.
- [Pages 325 to 327](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp325-327-ruggiero-interview-1981/), August 1981: the FBI's interview of Ruggiero.
- [Page 361](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-p361-ruggiero-arrest-report-1981/), October 6, 1981: the report of Ruggiero's arrest on August 29, 1981, and of Napolitano "missing and believed dead."
- [Pages 288 to 293](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp288-293-episcopia-reports/), 1984 to 1986: James Episcopia's conviction and sentences.
- [Pages 401 to 531](/items/fbi-vault-brasco-p01-pp401-531-napolitano-1974-1976/), 1974 to 1976: an earlier file on a stolen trailer and Napolitano's 1976 plea and sentence.

The January 1982 bail memorandum (page 364) is already quoted on the part-level page and is not filed again. Part 02 of the release has no text layer and could not be downloaded, so it is not read.

## The FBI Vault: Dominick Trinchera file

- [Pages 3 to 6](/items/fbi-vault-trinchera-pp3-6-preliminary-investigation-1981/), February 1981: Newark opens an investigation on "Trinchera's position as Capo, Bonanno Family."
- [Pages 102 and 103](/items/fbi-vault-trinchera-pp102-103-meeting-1981/), February 1981: a source's list of men at a meeting, with an FBI label for each.
- [Page 123](/items/fbi-vault-trinchera-p123-closing-1982/), March 1982: the closing memorandum after the killings.
- [Page 126](/items/fbi-vault-trinchera-p126-surveillance-1980/), June 1980: a surveillance at Grand and Elizabeth Streets.

## Testimony and the FBI's own statements

- [Pistone's opening statement to the Senate subcommittee](/items/shrg-100-906-pistone-testimony-1988-04-22/) and [his answers to the subcommittee](/items/shrg-100-906-pistone-qa-1988-04-22/), April 22, 1988, and [James Kossler's testimony on the GENUS project](/items/shrg-100-906-kossler-genus-1988-04-22/), both in [S. Hrg. 100-906](/items/psi-1988-25-years-after-valachi/).
- Director William H. Webster's [Georgetown lecture of October 13, 1982](/items/nara-118567890-webster-ryan-lecture-1982/), which describes "Donnie Brasco" without naming him, and his [statement of November 29, 1983](/items/shrg-98-914-webster-statement-1983-11-29/), which names Pistone.
- The FBI's [briefing outline on the Commission indictment](/items/nara-118568050-commission-indictment-briefing-1985/), February 26, 1985, which lists "Testimony of UCAs (Pistone)."
- The FBI's web pages: [the 2008 story](/items/fbi-story-2008-03-13-pistone/), [the history page "Joe Pistone, Undercover Agent"](/items/fbi-history-joe-pistone-undercover-agent/), [the Tampa history on COLDWATER](/items/fbi-history-tampa-coldwater/), [the 1972-1988 history](/items/fbi-history-crime-and-corruption-1972-1988/) and [the New York history](/items/fbi-history-new-york-massino/). The FBI's photograph of [Pistone with Napolitano](/items/fbi-pistone-sonny-black-1970s/) is served by the FBI.

These are the Bureau's accounts and sworn testimony. They are not court findings.

## Massino, Basciano and the later cases

- [United States v. Massino, 784 F.2d 153](/items/courtlistener-us-v-massino-784-f2d-153/) (2d Cir. 1986): Joseph Massino and Salvatore Vitale, indicted October 4, 1984.
- [The 2005 judgment on the No. 03-cr-929 docket](/items/courtlistener-docket-massino-03-cr-929-judgment-2005/): life sentences for Massino.
- U.S. Attorney's releases of [June 27, 2005](/items/usao-edny-2005-06-27-basciano-superseding-indictment/), [July 12, 2006](/items/usao-edny-2006-07-12-bonanno-convictions/), [February 6, 2007](/items/usao-edny-2007-02-06-santora-rabito-indictment/), [August 6, 2008](/items/usao-edny-2008-08-06-bonanno-pleas/) and [October 7, 2009](/items/usao-edny-2009-10-07-bonanno-indictment/).
- [In re Basciano, 542 F.3d 950](/items/courtlistener-in-re-basciano-542-f3d-950/) (2d Cir. 2008), [United States v. Basciano, 599 F.3d 184](/items/courtlistener-us-v-basciano-599-f3d-184/) (2d Cir. 2010) and [United States v. Basciano, 763 F. Supp. 2d 303](/items/courtlistener-us-v-basciano-763-f-supp-2d-303/) (E.D.N.Y. 2011), which records that Massino "agreed to become a government informant."
- The Basciano docket for [the 2011 trial](/items/courtlistener-docket-basciano-05-cr-60-trial-2011/), at which Massino was a witness, and for [the penalty verdict, judgment and mandate](/items/courtlistener-docket-basciano-05-cr-60-judgment-2011/).
- Earlier: the [1966 indictment of Joseph Bonanno](/items/nara-7570225-us-v-joseph-bonanno-66-cr-377/) for failing to appear before a grand jury, from the National Archives.

## People

[Joseph Pistone](/people/joseph-pistone/), [Dominick Napolitano](/people/dominick-napolitano/), [Benjamin Ruggiero](/people/benjamin-ruggiero/), [Alphonse Indelicato](/people/alphonse-indelicato/), [Anthony Indelicato](/people/anthony-indelicato/), [Dominick Trinchera](/people/dominick-trinchera/), [Philip Giaccone](/people/philip-giaccone/), [Joseph Messina](/people/joseph-messina/), [Carmine Galante](/people/carmine-galante/), [Philip Rastelli](/people/philip-rastelli/), [James Episcopia](/people/james-episcopia/), [Nicholas Santora](/people/nicholas-santora/), [Anthony Rabito](/people/anthony-rabito/), [Joseph Massino](/people/joseph-massino/), [Salvatore Vitale](/people/salvatore-vitale/), [Vincent Basciano](/people/vincent-basciano/) and [Joseph Bonanno](/people/joseph-bonanno/). For living people the pages give only charges, pleas, convictions and sentences.

## Where the records disagree

- **Napolitano's rank.** The FBI's 1980 teletypes call him "acting boss" (page 12) and "acting underboss" (page 15); its June 1981 teletypes call him a capo. The indictments, as the courts summarize them, call him a "captain," and the Eleventh Circuit says the trial evidence showed he captained Ruggiero's crew. His person page uses only the courts' wording.
- **Ruggiero's rank.** He was a member of Napolitano's "crew" (Eleventh Circuit) and a "Bonanno Family soldier" (Judge Chin, 1998). The FBI called him "acting 'capo'" in 1981, and Director Webster called him "a capo" in 1983.
- **Ruggiero's arrest date.** August 29, 1981 in the S.D.N.Y. opinion and the FBI's October 1981 report. A Newark memorandum of March 1982 prints 9/21/81, and the page image confirms that is what it says. This archive uses the court's date.
- **Anthony Indelicato.** The FBI's February 1985 briefing outline lists "Anthony Indelicato, solider" among the murders the Commission "authorized." The court record makes him a defendant in the Galante killing, convicted and sentenced to two consecutive 20-year terms. Both are stated on the pages concerned, and the FBI line is not repeated as fact.
- **His sentence.** Pistone testified "I think he got sentenced to 35 years." The court's figure is used.
- **The date of the May 1981 killings.** "On or about May 5, 1981" (FBI, May 1981, and the Newark memorandum's "5/5/81"); "late evening of May 5, 1981, or early morning, May 6, 1981" (the GENUS teletype).
- **The Pizzolo killing.** December 1, 2004 in the 2005 release; November 30, 2004 in the 2008 release; "on or about November 30, 2004" in the 2011 opinion.
- **Basciano's life sentence.** Sentenced March 31, 2008 (Second Circuit); judgment entered April 7, 2008 (district court).
- **Massino's first case number.** The 2005 judgment prints both "CR 03-207 (S-20)" and "CR 02-307."
- **The Brooklyn club's address.** The 1980 teletypes print 415 Graham Avenue; one GENUS page prints 413.

Where the Vault's text layer and the page image differ, the image is followed, and the item page says so. The 1980 teletype on page 12 reads 1980, not 1989; the AUSA's advice is dated July 10, 1980, not July 18; the May 1981 teletype refers to a call of May 13. The 1980 surveillance report names "Joseph 'J.B.' Indelicato," a first name the text layer drops.

## What is not filed

- A 1981 New York Times article mounted in the Trinchera file. It is within copyright, and its appearance in an FBI file does not change that.
- A 1988 FBI membership list of the New York families, printed with dates of birth in S. Hrg. 100-906. It is a law-enforcement chart with personal data on living people.
- FBI pages that print home addresses, Social Security numbers or dates of birth. The records are filed, but those pages' images are not stored.
- Part 02 of the Vault release, which could not be read; the 1981 complaint against Ruggiero and Napolitano and the trial transcript, which were not found in an open archive; and any record of the Florida trial's outcome or of Massino's 2004 verdict.

## Sources

- FBI Records: The Vault, Operation Donnie Brasco, Part 01: https://vault.fbi.gov/operation-donnie-brasco/operation-donnie-brasco-part-01/view