Blood and the Badge
The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation
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4.3 • 23 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
For the first time in forty years, former New York Times editor Michael Cannell unearths the full story behind two ruthless New York cops who acted as double agents for the Mafia.
No episode in NYPD history surpasses the depravities of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, two decorated detectives who covertly acted as mafia informants and paid assassins in the Scorsese world of 1980s Brooklyn.
For more than ten years, Eppolito and Caracappa moonlighted as the mob’s early warning alert system, leaking names of mobsters secretly cooperating with the government and crippling investigations by sharing details of surveillance, phone taps and impending arrests. The Lucchese boss called the two detectives his crystal ball: Whatever detectives knew, the mafia soon learned. Most grievously, Eppolito and Caracappa earned bonuses by staging eight mob hits, pulling the trigger themselves at least once.
Incredibly, when evidence of their wrongdoing arose in 1994, FBI officials failed to muster an indictment. The allegations lay dormant for a decade and were only revisited due to relentless follow up by Tommy Dades, a cop determined to break the cold case before his retirement. Eppolito and Caracappa were finally tried and then sentenced to life in prison in 2009, nearly thirty years after their crimes took place.
Cannell’s Blood and the Badge is based on entirely new research and never-before-released interviews with mobsters themselves, including Sammy “the Bull” Gravano. Eppolito and Caracappa’s story is more relevant than ever as police conduct comes under ever-increasing scrutiny.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former New York Times editor Cannell (A Brotherhood Betrayed) provides a disturbing account of corruption in the NYPD. Drawing on trial transcripts, court documents, and interviews, Cannell recaps the jaw-dropping story of detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, who were on the payroll of the mob from the 1980s until the early 2000s. Though Eppolito's father and uncle were Brooklyn mobsters, that didn't prevent him from joining the NYPD, where he soon gained a reputation for violence. After he was promoted to detective in 1977, Eppolito teamed up with Caracappa, and they began laundering money and carrying out murders and kidnappings for the Lucchese crime family (" somehow discovered a mutual inclination to supplement their day jobs with a second career in off-duty crime," Cannell quips). The pair was finally brought to justice in 2005, and both men were sentenced to life in prison in 2008. Cannell expertly lays out how bureaucratic failures within the NYPD allowed the two to evade charges for decades despite private suspicions and allegations, and paces the proceedings like a thriller. True crime readers and New York City history buffs should check this out.
Customer Reviews
Must Read!
Upon reflection on Michael Dowd's egregious misconduct, as detailed in Mike McAlary's book Good Cop Bad Cop, I encountered this book and discovered that Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa's transgressions far exceeded his. Two esteemed detectives were found to be secretly working for organized crime. For those intrigued by mafia-related literature, this book is a requisite read. The author's meticulous research and articulate writing style render the narrative both captivating and informative. The intricate web of murder, betrayal, and pursuit of justice is skillfully woven, yielding a gripping account that rivals a novel. The cinematic potential of this true story is undeniable. I highly recommend this book.
Blood and the Badge
Well researched. Fascinating reading.