377: Séamus McElearney - Flipping Capo, How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos

FBI Case File Review

Jerri Williams

True Crime, Interviews, Fiction, History, Fbi, Government, Truecrime

4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Retired agent Séamus McElearney reviews his investigation of the DeCavalcante crime family—infamously known as "the real Sopranos"—and how he convinced Anthony Capo, a violent soldier in the DeCavalcante family to become the first made member in the family's century-long history to cooperate with law enforcement. Séamus is the author of Flipping Capo: How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos. He served in the FBI for 21 years.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	When I was briefing him, he's just telling me stories of all the crimes that he's committed
0:05.9	over the years.
0:06.9	Like it's nothing.
0:08.2	Here I am sitting there, I'm just thinking myself, this is absolutely nuts.
0:12.1	It's like he's talking about stabbing someone in the eye with a fork, like all the fights
0:17.2	that he was in.
0:18.4	So matter of fact, like his emotions just didn't kick in at all.
0:22.1	It was just like, it just passed me the sandwich.
0:27.6	Welcome to episode 377 of FBI case file review with Jerry Williams.
0:36.6	I'm a retired agent on a mission to show you who the FBI is
0:41.5	and what the FBI does through my books, my blog, and my podcast case reviews with former colleagues.
0:47.6	Today we get to speak to retired agent Seamus McAlearnie, who served in the FBI for more than 21 years.
0:57.7	In this episode, he reviews his investigation of the DeCalvocanti crime family,
1:05.5	infamously known as the Real Sopranos.
1:09.0	He also reviews how he convinced Anthony Capo, a violent soldier in the
1:14.6	DeCavocante family, to become the first made member in the family's century-long history to cooperate
1:22.3	with law enforcement. Shamus is the author of Flipping Capo, How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos.
1:31.5	In his book, he shares the behind-the-scenes details about the relationship he built with Capo
1:38.1	over many debriefings and numerous trials, where Capo's unprecedented move triggered a domino effect of cooperation that
1:47.5	ultimately led to the dismantling of the DeKalvo County family. In all, 71 defendants were convicted,
1:55.0	11 murders were solved, and seven trials transpired. As a result, Seamus and his team received the United States
2:02.7	Attorney's Office Director's Award. Shamus's first assignment in the FBI was to the New York
	...

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