‘Mind chess,’ not threats, convinced real-life Sopranos mobster to cooperate: retired FBI agent

The FBI chased the "Real Sopranos" for decades without breaking them, until 1 apprehension changed everything.

Behind the HBO deed bid was a existent mafia household operating successful New Jersey and New York: the DeCavalcante transgression family. In 1999, retired FBI cause Séamus McElearney says the Bureau yet cracked the enactment from the wrong by flipping a convulsive mob worker and triggering a concatenation absorption that dismantled the family.

McElearney, writer of the precocious released "Flipping Capo: How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos," joined the FBI successful 1998 and was assigned to Squad C-10 of the New York Organized Crime Branch, wherever helium investigated some the Bonanno and DeCavalcante transgression families, the real-life inspiration down "The Sopranos."

"The lawsuit fundamentally starts successful 1998," McElearney told Fox News Digital, pointing to 2 events that unexpectedly intersected: a World Trade Center robbery and the execution of a DeCavalcante subordinate successful Brooklyn.

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Retired FBI cause Séamus McElearney says flipping mob worker Anthony Capo cracked the "Real Sopranos."  (Seamus McElearney)

The robbery’s mastermind aboriginal contacted the FBI and became a uncommon "proactive witness," secretly signaling mob conversations and starring agents consecutive into the family’s Brooklyn faction.

"When you person a proactive witness, the astir important happening is trying to support him safe," McElearney said. "You person to person him deliberation to the criminals that he’s inactive not cooperating with the government."

Over 2 years, the witnesser made astir 300 consensual recordings, softly exposing the interior workings of the real-life Sopranos.

The exterior of St. Brendan’s Church successful New Jersey, a determination historically associated with funerals and nationalist gatherings involving members of the DeCavalcante transgression family. Such sites often served arsenic uncommon nationalist windows into different secretive mafia networks. (Seamus McElearney)

"You person to support up the facade that helium is simply a transgression himself," McElearney said. "If that screen blows, radical get killed."

The probe reached a breaking constituent successful December 1999, erstwhile McElearney led the apprehension of Anthony Capo, a feared DeCavalcante worker with a agelong estimation for unit and hostility toward instrumentality enforcement.

"I was assigned to apprehension a convulsive DeCavalcante worker named Anthony Capo," McElearney said. "He had a notorious estimation against instrumentality enforcement and adjacent wrong the mob itself."

Before his cooperation, Capo had been profoundly embedded successful the family’s bloodiest chapters. According to humanities accounts, Capo was progressive successful the 1989 execution of Fred Weiss, a deed ordered by Gambino brag John Gotti to solidify the DeCavalcante family’s lasting with New York’s Mafia elite. Capo helped show Weiss and served arsenic the operator during the Staten Island ambush, highlighting the extent of his engagement successful mob unit earlier helium ever cooperated.

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Anthony Capo, a worker successful the DeCavalcante transgression family, is shown successful a booking photograph tied to national organized transgression charges. (Seamus McElearney)

Still aboriginal successful his career, McElearney expected to beryllium placed successful a secondary role. Instead, helium recovered himself starring the apprehension team.

"Here I americium hoping to beryllium connected an apprehension team," helium said. "And it turns retired I was the squad leader."

Rather than intimidation, McElearney said helium relied connected relentless mentation and respect, what helium calls "mind chess."

"I fundamentally studied him similar you would survey for a test. I knew everything astir him," McElearney said. "I knew wherever helium lived. I knew his kids’ names. I adjacent knew helium was diabetic."

During the arrest, McElearney made definite Capo’s humor sweetener wouldn’t drop.

"I had orangish foodstuff and cocoa with me," helium said. "I wasn’t going to person him walk retired successful beforehand of me."

McElearney said helium ne'er lied oregon bluffed. Instead, helium calmly demonstrated however overmuch the FBI already knew.

Wiggles Gentlemen’s Club successful Queens, New York, a concern tied to organized transgression enactment and aboriginal referenced successful national investigations. The nine has been cited arsenic a real-world parallel to portion nine settings depicted successful The Sopranos. (Seamus McElearney)

"I told him, ‘Don’t accidental anything. Just listen,’" McElearney said. "This isn’t a question. This is simply a statement."

A week later, McElearney received a telephone helium ne'er expected. Capo’s lawyer said his lawsuit wanted to cooperate.

"To archer you the truth, I had nary thought astatine all," McElearney said. "I was wholly stunned."

Capo became the archetypal made subordinate successful the DeCavalcante family’s century-long past to cooperate with instrumentality enforcement, a determination that shattered mafia contented and triggered a historical domino effect.

"We didn’t expect that," McElearney said. "We had a sheet boss, a captain, a worker and 4 associates cooperate. That was very, precise unique."

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An FBI organizational illustration detailing the enactment operation of the DeCavalcante transgression family, including bosses, captains, soldiers and associates. (Seamus McElearney)

"Since that timeframe," helium added, "no different made subordinate successful that household has cooperated, 25 years plus."

The unit Capo erstwhile participated successful was besides turning inward. Historical accounts amusement that Capo’s subordinate Joey Garofano disappeared aft mishandling aspects of the Weiss hit. He is believed to person been killed by chap mobsters who feared helium mightiness exposure them, reflecting the paranoia consuming the family.

Capo was besides tied to the sidesplitting of acting brag John D’Amato successful the aboriginal 1990s, an interior execution driven by powerfulness struggles and rumors that further fractured the family’s already fragile codification of loyalty.

A uncommon radical photograph shows members and associates of the DeCavalcante transgression household gathered astatine a societal relation successful New Jersey. The family, agelong considered the real-life inspiration for The Sopranos, operated softly for decades earlier national investigations exposed its operation and leadership. (Seamus McElearney)

The lawsuit would go 1 of the astir consequential organized transgression prosecutions successful modern FBI history. Over the pursuing years, McElearney and his squad secured 71 convictions, solved 11 murders and enactment 7 trials earlier national juries, efficaciously dismantling the DeCavalcante transgression family.

The practice allowed prosecutors to bash thing astir unheard of: enactment the full operation of a mafia household connected the witnesser stand, from thoroughfare associates to leadership.

As "The Sopranos" debuted connected HBO, the real-world lawsuit collided with popular culture. McElearney said the FBI captured mobsters connected portion debating which real-life figures matched characters connected the show.

The Sopranos, HBO's deed bid astir a modern-day mob brag caught betwixt responsibilities to his household and his "family." Pictured: bid prima James Gandolfini and David Chase, the show's creator. (HBO)

"That signaling was priceless for trial," helium said. "All we had to bash was deed play."

But the world down the amusement was acold darker. McElearney described 1 of the Bureau’s astir chilling recordings, a shooter calmly describing the execution of Joseph Conigliaro, a ruthless mob subordinate who utilized a wheelchair.

"He was changeable six times," McElearney said. "He got retired of the car, drove away, enactment his blinker connected and drove himself toward the hospital."

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Joe "Pitts" Conigliaro, a convulsive indebtedness shark tied to the DeCavalcante transgression family, is shown with subordinate Americo "Mike" Massa earlier Conigliaro’s 1997 murder. (Seamus McElearney)

As the probe widened, the stakes became personal. At 1 point, the FBI learned of a declaration not lone connected Capo, but connected his children and connected instrumentality enforcement.

"That became precise existent precise quickly," McElearney said.

McElearney aboriginal went connected to oversee investigations into the Colombo transgression family, helping dismantle different large mafia enactment and spearheading what the FBI has described arsenic the largest mafia takedown successful its history. Over his career, helium helped convict 10 mafia bosses and lick much than 30 homicides, including 11 tied to the DeCavalcante lawsuit and much than 20 linked to Bonanno and Colombo household investigations. In 2013, McElearney was invited to the White House and recognized by the president for his enactment against organized crime.

Today, McElearney says the mafia is weaker, but not gone.

"They’ve been astir for 125 years," helium said. "If you don’t support an oculus connected them, they’re going to rebuild."

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For those inactive wrong that world, helium offered a blunt warning.

"At immoderate point, you’re gonna person to marque a prime betwixt your existent household and their family," McElearney said. "And astatine the extremity of the day, you’re conscionable gonna get caught."

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].