368: Donnie Brasco and Joe Pistone – Family Business, Going Undercover (Part 2)
FBI Case File Review
Jerri Williams
4.6 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 September 2025
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joe also talks about how he felt when he learned Donnie had applied to join the FBI, presented him with his agent credentials at his FBI Academy graduation, and the advice he would have given Donnie if he knew he was applying to attend the undercover certification school. Joe provides insights about what is required to be a good undercover agent and a successful true crime and crime fiction author.
Donnie reviews his undercover role during the group one operation code-named "Black Eagle" during the second half of the episode.
Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL
Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I think Louis may have reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to present the Donny |
| 0:05.5 | his credentials. |
| 0:06.6 | And I said, of course. |
| 0:08.0 | I mean, I was going to the graduation, but I didn't know that I would be allowed to go |
| 0:11.9 | up and present his credentials. |
| 0:13.8 | And Louis reached out and asked me if I wanted to do it. |
| 0:16.3 | And I said, of course I would want to do it. |
| 0:18.0 | It was a thrill, you know, sure. |
| 0:20.9 | Welcome to episode 368 of FBI Case File Review with Jerry Williams. |
| 0:29.8 | I'm a retired agent on a mission to show you who the FBI is and what the FBI does through my books, my blog, and my podcast case reviews |
| 0:39.8 | with former colleagues. Today, in part two of this two-part episode, I continue my conversation |
| 0:47.3 | with legendary undercover agent Joe Pistone and his nephew, retired agent Donnie Brasco. FBI Case File Review is usually audio only, |
| 0:58.8 | but we recorded video for this episode, which you can watch on the FBI CaseFell Review YouTube |
| 1:04.6 | channel. Joe shares his advice about what's required to become a great undercover agent and a successful crime fiction |
| 1:14.7 | and true crime author. Donnie shares more stories from his career as a case agent and a certified |
| 1:22.4 | undercover agent. In your podcast app's description of this episode, there's a link to the show notes at |
| 1:29.3 | jerrywilliams.com. There's also a link where you can join my reader team about crime fiction and |
| 1:36.6 | the FBI and books, TV, and movies, and learn more about me and my books. Thank you for your |
| 1:43.3 | support. Now here's the show. |
| 1:47.3 | Joe, I am so excited because the last time we talked, which was nearly 10 years ago, that |
| 1:54.5 | first year I started FBI case file review, I brought up the fact that I knew where you got the name Donnie Brasco from. |
| 2:05.3 | And we agreed that we weren't going to talk about it on the podcast. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jerri Williams, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jerri Williams and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.