In the film Donnie Brasco, why did the FBI tell the mafia that Donnie was an undercover agent?

In the film Donnie Brasco, why did the FBI tell the mafia that Donnie was an undercover agent? - Woman in Black Tank Top Sitting on Bed

In the film Donnie Brasco, why did the FBI tell the mafia that Donnie was an undercover agent? What am I missing? Why does the FBI seem stupid?



Best Answer

Stupid? Not at all. The FBI tells Sonny Black that Donnie was an agent, to let them know that the FBI can infiltrate them at will. This will create suspicion for every new member going forward, and the whole idea is to break down the walls of trust so they'll rat on each other.

It's actually a quite brilliant move on the FBI's part.




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Why did the FBI tell the Mafia about Donnie Brasco?

When the FBI tells Sonny Black the man he knew as Donnie Brasco was an agent all along, it is a threat. The agency is insinuating cops can infiltrate the mob at will. On the surface, the feds do this to instill paranoia, hoping Sonny and Lefty will turn informant before they are taken care of internally.

Why did the FBI tell Sonny Black about Donnie Brasco?

"Really would've collapsed the myth" of Mafia potency. But in 1981, after internal Bonanno power struggles led to three murders, the bureau decided that Pistone was in increasing danger and pulled him out. Sonny Black and Lefty, informed by the FBI that Donnie Brasco was a fake, refused to believe it.

Was Donnie Brasco an undercover agent?

Joseph Dominick Pistone (born September 17, 1939), is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco, between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in ...

How accurate was the movie Donnie Brasco?

In an interview, Joseph D. Pistone, said that he didn't see his family for at least two years while he was undercover. Joseph D. Pistone claimed that the movie is 85 percent accurate.



Most Hated FBI Agent in the Mafia- Joe Pistone aka Donnie Brasco




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