Customer Reviews

Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The author Jack Garcia has retired after twenty-six years as a special agent for the FBI. The preponderance of that time was spent undercover infiltrating every type of organized crime imaginable... drug distribution... weapon sales... jewelry theft... counterfeit money... counterfeit cigarettes... government corruption... police corruption... and in perhaps his greatest achievement of all... not only infiltrating the infamous Gambino Mafia crime family... but being next in line to be crowned a "MADE-MAN"... "A WISE GUY"... "A-KNOCK-AROUND-GUY... but then the FBI pulled the plug on the operation despite Jack's vociferous objections.

Jack was only the second FBI agent to ever be accepted as a Mafia undercover "ASSOCIATE". The first was the legendary Joe Pistone: aka Donnie Brasco. What helped Jack be so successful in his undercover status, in addition to ice cubes in his veins and a giant pair of "brass-ones" was the fact that he just DID NOT LOOK LIKE AN FBI AGENT. The FBI has strict physical guidelines that must be met including a certain height and weight ratio. It took Jack two tries to make it into the FBI because of his weight. Jack was originally six-feet-four and two-hundred-fifty pounds. Jack was told he had to lose forty pounds and come back. Jack lost the weight... came back and made the cut... but that weight class would be a forgotten memory down the road.

The FBI actually conducted a "MOB-SCHOOL" to teach potential undercover agents how to be a mobster. How to talk... how to walk... how to dress... proper slang... and... how to eat like a Mafioso. As Jack would learn firsthand, eating was almost a full-time job in the Mafia. So eat is what Jack did... and at one point his weight came very close to the FOUR-HUNDRED-FIFTY-POUND MARK! Like I said... he DID NOT look like an FBI agent. Jack's undercover name "FALCONE" was selected in honor of a "courageous Sicilian judge who had been murdered by the Mafia along with his wife and three police bodyguards a few years earlier. The FBI had honored Judge Falcone with a bronze bust at the FBI Academy because of his fortitude in his fight against the Italian Mafia." In addition to the sheer terror that Jack faced every day and night gaining influence in the Gambino family... additionally... it is an almost "IMPOSSIBLE-TO-BELIEVE" fact that he was *SIMULTANEOUSLY* working undercover in four other major cases... all with different persona's... in different parts of the country from Florida to New York... involving among other things the counterfeiting of United States one-hundred-dollar bills in North Korea using the same ink and the same paper as the U.S. Treasury. "In the eyes of the Secret Service, they were as good as real." "COUNTERFEIT MONEY POSES A GREATER THREAT THAN PRACTICALLY ANY OTHER CONTRABAND WHEN IT COMES TO NATIONAL SECURITY. IF NORTH KOREA FLOODED THE UNITED STATES WITH THESE FAKE BILLS, IT COULD TAKE DOWN THE ENTIRE U.S. ECONOMY. THESE BILLS WERE THAT GOOD."

Meanwhile Jack "Falcone" was also attempting to win the trust of Gambino "Capo" Greg DePalma who was known to take "tough" stances with people he suspected of stealing from him. Such as putting a power drill to the head of someone he believed had stolen from him at a strip joint... "And on another occasion used a cattle prod on a guy's scrotum." For a little "light" work Jack would mix in setting traps to catch crooked cops in Florida... and expose Atlantic City politicians on the take. As Jack's weight mushroomed he worried about his health... but for a number of years in a row the FBI cancelled his yearly physical due to budget constraints. In one of the "black-humor" life-is-stranger than fiction scenes in the story... the Mafia got Jack and the rest of their crew health insurance through a corrupt union official, and they all went to get a checkup... and they found that Jack had a serious heart problem and they kept him in the hospital. The FBI didn't know where Jack was... he couldn't call his wife... and after all the years worrying he'd be killed by a Mafia bullet... it turned out that his illicit Mafia "union" health insurance may have saved his life!

The stories are endless, and Jack's a natural born raconteur. One story involves a visit with Greg DePalma to Bloomingdale's because they knew that Petey Chops a Made-Man ate there. It turns out that Petey wasn't "KICKING-UP" (Which means he wasn't sharing his ill gained loot with the individuals above him in the Mafia food chain.) so "the crew" waited for Petey to show up at Bloomingdale's... and when he shows... one of the boys grabs "a solid glass Kosta Boda candleholder, nearly a foot in length, from the nearest display and whacked Petey over the head with it. When it connected, I heard a "pop" like a broken cantaloupe. Bystanders gasped. Petey Chops dropped to the floor, unconscious, blood gushing from his head." NOTE: The author provides a footnote with the exact description of the lovely product/weapon directly from Bloomingdale's website. You will not put this book down... start to finish... and luckily Jack leaves us with an ending promise that he has many more stories to tell. I hope so, because I will be the first one to buy his next book!

A fun and exciting first person account of an FBI undercover agent's infiltration of an infamous NYC mafia family.

Another reviewer said it should be made into a movie. As I understand it, Paramount has acquired the rights to do just that.

Reminiscent of the story of Donnie Brasco (which was made into a Johnny Depp movie) it is amazing how Jack Garcia was able to work several undercover cases- simultaneously- and it raises many questions about why the FBI shut down the case just before Jack was about to be a "made" man. Though the case was still able to bring dozens of mafia members to justice, more might have been done and those questions are not answered- but that is certainly not the author's fault.

He seems evenhanded in expressing compliments and criticism to his higher-ups at the Bureau.

Most interesting for readers is that, not only does the author provide insight into the inner workings of the mafia, but also what he had to do to engage them and, eventually, become part of their inner circle.

Kind of like a fascinating look into the world of a real-life Tony Soprano.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. While it was not in the same league as "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi, it was an interesting true tale of mob infiltration. I do have some criticisms of the book, but to go into them would give away too much of the tale. If you've read "Wiseguy," you may enjoy this one. If you haven't, read it first, but this was a solid book.

--Jeffrey Lee Hollis--

Extortion. Murder. Drugs. Racketeering. Gambling. Prostitution. It's all here, and more.

Joaquin Garcia's (aka Jack Falcone) autobiography of his life as an undercover FBI agent is an intriguing buzz into the sleazy and unforgiving world of crime and corruption.

Garcia is a big man (6' 4", 350 plus pounds) walking on eggshells as he squashes wrongdoers and puts them behind bars all up and down the eastern seaboard.

His final case is a two and a half year stint as undercover cop within the Mafia's Gambino family. Living on the edge everyday.

While not exactly a high powered action thriller, it does ideate the dangers and excitement of working undercover along with the inner workings of both the FBI and organized crime. A good read.

Word of caution to those who dislike tough language.

I'm a huge fan of mafia biographies and histories. Recently I've been reading memoirs/biographies of the undercover agents who have been infiltrating the mafia. Making Jack Falcone is an excellent undercover book, on par with Donnie Brasco.

It is hard to believe that a Cuban born FBI agent could infiltrate the Gambinos so thoroughly. Joaquin not only did this but he also took part in numerous other undercover operations before and during his undercover infiltration of the Gambino Crime Family. This in itself is unbelievable because of the sheer number of people he was able to gain incriminating evidence on that ultimately put many people behind bars. Making Jack Falcone focuses, for the most part on his role in the Gambinos, but it is also a bio of his life outside of the Gambinos. His undercover work against terrorists, drug dealers and bad cops are just a few examples.

Although at times the writing lacked a certain flare, and at times I wished that there could have been more meat to what we were reading (for example, he would oftentimes tell us how something happened in a general sense, but we weren't given a clear picture on the details that could have painted a better, more clear picture), I am very pleased with the insight into the life of an undercover agent and what they have to go through on a daily basis in order to maintain their cover.

Not a lot of meat in regards to the history of the Gambino Crime Family and La Cosa Nostra in general, but a definite recommend for those looking for a memoir about an undercover FBI agent so instrumental in the dismantling of the Gambinos in the early to mid 2000s. A definite recommend.

5 stars.

I hated to put this book down and was sorry to have the story end! I thoroughly enjoyed the way the book was written. It allows the reader to feel "in the moment" as you ride along with Jack in his Mafia journey. There were elements of humor to this book as well as elements of fear for Jack's safety. Jack Garcia truly embodies the epitomy of an FBI Agent and has done his country and his government proud. As a former FBI support person for almost 36 years I would like to note two things. Jack, in my eyes, is a class act in that he took the time to thank the support personnel that worked for, and with him. Sadly, in the day-to-day operations of the FBI that doesn't often happen and to have them acknowledged in a book is phenomenal to me. Also, his description of "life in the FBI" and how the bureaucracy can be flawed is right on the money. Sad, but true.

I'm not sure why the reviews of this book are as high as they are. The writing in this book is awful. Just awful. Although Jack Garcia is a hero in the sense that he spent the majority of his career undercover and in constant danger to make the world safer for others, his pompous attitude about his success takes most of the book to get used to. Humility is not one of the strengths of this book.

The story and details that Jack Garcia shared are indeed riviting. It is nice to see the "romance" of organized crime removed. Good stories. It was also a nice touch that this book ends with a "where they are now" section.

One thing that turned me off is the bashing of the FBI was almost as strong as the bashing of the mafia and bad guys. I am a believer in 'don't bite the hand that feeds you' and the FBI bashing was unnecessary since the author is making additional money off of his service with the organization. That's my opinion though and I'm sure others disagree.

The writing jumps around a bit and certain facts are repeated. It's also hard to keep all the names straight at times. The writing style is quite awful. I was shocked that there were two authors because. Perhaps a third would have been helpful.

I would say that this is worth a read. Just don't hold your expectations high regarding the way the story is told.

What a great story about this courageous and wonderful man! I could not put this book down! FBI Agent Garcia makes you feel like you are there beside him every step of the way as he captures these hard core criminals. You feel his every emotion and you seem to go inside his head and become part of his stories. The FBI must be very proud of this legendary crime fighting Agent. He is sincere and pays compliments and acknowledgement to those who were responsible for his successes. This book will truly stand the test of time and become a True Crime classic for generations to come.

Took me four days to read this and it was great. This guy is a true hero and I'm proud that there are people like this out there fighting against drug dealers, crooked cops, counterfeiters, and terrorists. I can't wait to see the movie but there's no way they'll be able to cram in all the interesting stories he shared in the book.

I was most impressed by how the author did his job perfectly even when the FBI treated him unfairly. He kept in perspective that the people he was dealing with daily were the "bad guys" and he never succumbed to the temptations of their fast lives and skewed views.

The book mostly reads like a conversation which made it seemed like I was hearing these stories first hand. I recommend this book to readers of all interests.

The Making of Jack Falcone is a riveting story that is portrayed perfectly! He is able to reach way into the minds of the criminals and at times has one believing they are the protagonist, only to quickly convince you of just how shocking and dire these people can be. This book is sure to win one over by the fabulous performance (If FBI agents could win academy awards this man would have cases and cases filled) as he juggles several different jobs and alias'. He is truly an individual to admire as he goes above and beyond the call of duty in his undercover work always mentioning and paying tribute to all those special FBI agents that put so much on the line each day. This modern day Donnie Brasco will defiantly keep you on the edge of your seat.