Customer Reviews

Mafia Cop

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lou Eppolito was arrested in Las Vegas, along with his NYPD partner, on March 10, 2005 for carrying out a series of mob murders in the 1980s and 1990s while he was a self-proclaimed "honest" cop.

It turns out he was part of the mob all along, which makes this book quite interesting in that Eppolito had the nerve to write an autobiography that was a complete LIE and sell it to the public anyway!

One can fault Eppolito for his life of crime, but one can never say that the man didn't have nerve!

You friend ended up being a hitman for the mob all along. Which means the book is complete bs and you've been duped.

Watdayasaybout dat?

Well, the hero was sentenced to life behind bars, 1 million dollar fine, and forfeiture of all his assets. Why?

He was a murderer. He was not a hero. He killed killers.

Now, his book is fiction. "Compassionate" guy? Cold-blooded killer for hire; sociopath, narcissist, and now...just another thug behind bars. Praise for this fiction? No, thanks.

I picked up this book a couple of years ago and it is a pretty entertaining read. Also, many mafia buffs have probably read "Murder Machine", by Jerry Capaci (IF you haven't, read it now!). In it one of the murders is done ny Dominick's uncle in the late 70's and it is the murder, which eventually lands him in jail. I am pretty sure, this is the same murder that involved Lou Eppolito's Uncle and Cousin. It has some good insight into a hit covered only breifly in Murder Machine, becasue it was a only of minor importance to that story. If you can find a copy, by Mafia Cop.

The author, an ex-detective, was arrested today (3/10/05) along with his partner and accused of leading double lives as Mafia hitmen while on the force in the 1980s and '90s.
See how realistic it all sounds now.

I see several people beat me to the punch in posting that Det. Lou Eppolito (Ret.) and Det. Stephen Caracella (Ret.) were arrested by the Feds yesterday on eight counts each of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and sundry countys of obstruction, drug distribution and money laundering (CNN).

Eppilito's book "Mafia Cop" made him semi-famous for awhile. He got hired as consultants to various mob movies and appears in "Goodfellas" in the scene where you also meet the notorious Jimmy Two Times ("I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers"), and in "State of Grace" he is murdered by Gary Oldman. He also did "Oprah" (yes, "Oprah") to promote the book.

At the time the book was released Eppilito was "Eleven" (the 11th most decorated cop in the history of the NYPD, with two Medals of Valor) but had retired under a cloud of suspicion for having ties with the mob. Though he was cleared by the interdepartmental Trials Commissioner, Hugh Mo (a legendary hanging judge who once stated "I have taken down hundreds of cops and feel little, if any, remorse") the FBI always believed he was dirty as did many inside the NYPD.

"Mafia Cop" is a very entertaining read about a man with huge muscles, big cojones, a bad temper, and a gigantic ego. No doubt he was a hero and had the bucketfull of medals to prove it, but he a;sp comes across as a braggart, a bully and a misogynist (and I don't mean that he chased a lot of women, I mean he was using battered women for sex, sleeping with other men's wives, etc. which he states in the book he isn't "proud of" now but also that it meant "nothing to him then") and flaunted his Mafia connections at every turn, which can get you in very hot water if you carry a badge. The truth is, Eppolito emerges from the book looking like a pretty dangerous dude, not one you'd want on your bad side, but also not one you'd want investigating a mob murder. It was not so much a case of conflicting loyalty as the fact that Eppolito clearly idolized mobsters and their lifestyle. In my own law enforcement career I met more than a few people who fell into that pattern, but in Eppolito's case it was literally a family tradition (some have disputed the high ranks he says his father and uncle held in the Gambino family, saying they were only minor players, but there is no dispute about their mob status).

Having said all this, I want to remind everybody that Eppolito and Caracappa are INNOCENT until (if!) the G. proves them guilty. Eppolito's ego and big mouth make him an easy target for schadenfreude (known today as "player hate") but there are also people walking around breathing today who would have been dead if he hadn't been there to put his butt on the line for them. Let the justice system have its say before you start gloating. Sometimes it even works.

Just found this book a few days ago.I was about one-fourth the way through and was finding it a fantastic read.I stopped there and decided to check out the Customer Reviews.WoW! what an eye opener.I was really taken by the insight the book gave into both life in a Mafia family and life as a NYPD cop.I hadn't even connected this book with the movie Goodfellows.Then, in the Reviews,lo and behold! Eppolito and his friend were arrested just this March in Las Vegas for a bunch of crimes;16 years after leaving the Force.I couldn't believe it!I went back to the book and couldn't put it down till I finished it.
Next, I went to the Web to see what I could find.There it was.Sure enough,they were arrested and in fact,Indicted!What surprises me ,I don't seem to remember a thing mentioned about this in our Toronto Newspapers or TV or other News.
There is a lot about this on the net; I searched...'Lou Eppolito Arrest and Trial 2005' and an excellent site 'AmericanMafia.com'.It is all spelled out there,the background,the arrests and the Endictment.However; I am still trying to find out when and if the trial is to start.
Boy what a trial this will make ,compared to the Circus we've been enduring about Michael Jackson.
Does anyone know more about the Trial?

Dear Readers, I know Lou's story first hand and I think the book was right on the money. Lou is a very special guy. His talents are enormous and He himself is bigger than life. Nails are made no tougher Louie, but he has a heart the size of Cleveland. Everything in the book happened the way it was told. I count myself amoung lou's closest of friends of which there are very few. He is not easy to be close to, for He has much to be distrustful about. When you are let into his close circle, you can count yourself as one of the lucky people on this planet. To share friendship with him is a feeling of being a part of greatness. He is the true hero that actors portray in any number of macho roles. He is all that they are, but He is a real man, he exists among us. In everyday life you may pass him in the street and never know how close you have come to meeting one of the most special men to walk this life game with us. Please read his book and feel his feelings, they are real, He tells the truth, He deserves to be heard. New Yorks finest are just that, and He was the best one I ever met, and more so, He is a better man. Anyone who knew Him and didn't see, or admit to, his goodness, was either afraid of him, or jealous of him. I am neither. I respect and love the man, He deserves both!

His book reflects who he is. He's compassionate and witty but most of all he is not phony. Lou has a heart of gold. He is a rough & tumble kind of guy; street smart like most of us raised in Brooklyn. Lou is not the criminal portrayed in the media.His book Mafia Cop is boldly honest. Some might consider his book abrasive and to those of you who do, you have the right to lay the book aside and not continue to read it.