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In this episode, retired agent Mike Campi reviews his investigation of the Genovese crime family based on the cooperation of Michael D’Urso, aka “Cookie,” a mafia associate who became a confidential source after he was shot in the head and left for dead.
D’Urso worked with Mike Campi and wore a wire, recording the crimes of his fellow gangsters on a scale never seen before.
Campi new true crime book, Mafia Takedown: The Incredible True Story of the FBI Agent Who Devastated the New York Mob recounts how, for three years, Michael D’Urso risked his life to assist the FBI in taking down the New York mob.
D’Urso’s recorded conversations with numerous powerful figures in the New York based organized crime families captured evidence of extortions, murder conspiracies, money laundering, labor racketeering and corrupt politicians and helped convict more than 70 mobsters including former Genovese boss Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante and Liborio ‘Barney’ Bellomo.
The book lays out the hypocrisy of this organized crime life, with recordings made by D’Urso. Campi cites historical details to support his belief in the hypocrisy of this criminal life going back decades to the 1930s.
Special Agent (Retired)
Mike Campi
1983 – 2007
Mike Campi served in the FBI for 24 years. He was initially assigned to the Cincinnati Division. However, he spent most of his FBI career in the New York Division working both organized crime and white-collar cases, including financial fraud, labor racketeering, and political corruption. He focused on the Genovese crime family, the most powerful and secretive organized crime family in the country. His investigations resulted in multiple devastating convictions of the Genovese family hierarchy, crippling this most sophisticated criminal enterprise.
Campi retired as the Coordinator of the Organized Crime branch of the New York Division, where he managed over 150 agents in the FBI’s largest and most successful OC program. He was later recruited by a Swiss bank to be a vice president of Corporate Security for the Americas region.
The following are links to news articles related to Michael D’Urso’s cooperation and the Genovese crime family:
New York Post – 1/6/2003: Wounded Mob Rat Poised For Payback
New York Times – 1/14/2003: Mobster Turned Informant Testifies in a Shooting Trial
NY Daily News – 3/10/2007: Murderous mob rat spared prison time
New York Post – Jan. 10, 2020: Former mob rat Michael ‘Cookie’ D’Urso writes open letter to the Mafia
THE BLACK HAND FORUM – 10/19/2023: Turncoat Genovese Gangster Coerced To Have Sex With FBI Handler
To learn more about another mob associate who cooperated with the FBI after being shot in the head and left for dead, listen to 209: Elaine Smith – Tokyo Joe, Botched Mob Hit
Listen to these episodes about mafia organized crime cases:
046: Joe Pistone – Infiltrating the Mafia, Being Donnie BrascoEpisode
225: Jack Garcia – Undercover Agent, Making Jack Falcone
236: Giovanni Rocco and Anthony Zampogna – Taking Down the Real Sopranos, DeCavalcante Mob Family
The following are images from Mike Campi’s time working with Michael D’Urso and of made members of the Genovese crime family mentioned during the case review:
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