Donnie Brasco is a crime drama feature film starring Johnny Depp in the role of Donnie Brasco, the alter ego of FBI agent Joe Pistone; Al Pacino as Lefty Ruggiero, the low-level wise-guy who vouched for Brasco; and actress Anne Heche as Joe Pistone’s wife.
The movie, adapted from the New York Times bestselling true crime book written by legendary undercover agent Joe Pistone, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Premise: An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life—at the expense of his regular one (IMDb).
In real life, between September 1976 and July 1981, while using the alias Donnie Brasco, FBI agent Joe Pistone went undercover posing as a jewel thief in New York for six years and infiltrated the Mafia. The movie, however, takes several liberties with the facts. Listen to FBI Case File Review episode with Joe Pistone 046: Infiltrating the Mafia, Being Donnie Brasco to learn the true story.
During our first podcast discussion, Joe spoke about what it was like to have a movie made about his life and the unflattering creative compromises made to his story. He wanted to set the record straight on three things. He never slapped his wife, he didn’t have a bag with $300,000 in it, and he didn’t help his mobster associates cut up a body.
But my thing is to review TV shows and movies for teachable moments about FBI policy, procedures, and programs. During my rewatch of Donnie Brasco, I noticed that the fictional Donnie would vanish for weeks, without even a phone call to his handling agent. I was curious about his lack of contact with the FBI office. During Joe’s assignment, there was no certified undercover unit and no official guidelines. So,
I called up retired agent Donnie Brasco (the real one) and asked for his help to review Donnie Brasco. I specifically wanted him to discuss today’s reporting requirements for undercover employees (UCEs).
Donnie told me that while deep undercover, UCEs hand over their credentials, badge, weapon, and stop coming into the FBI field office. The UCEs will pick an agent to serve as their contact person for the operation. They will meet up at a remote location where they won’t be detected.
At these meetups, UCEs must submit any evidence collected (recordings, prepared FD-302 reports, handwritten notes, etc.) for prompt transcription and filing. If concerned about counter-surveillance, contact may take place by phone.
Once out in the field, in addition to the contact agent, the FBI’s Safeguard Unit is a major lifeline, responsible for the management and retention of effective UCEs.
Donnie (the real one) also explained that to continue as a certified undercover employee, while on assignment, UCEs are mandated to have a psychological evaluation every six months and meet with a special agent representative for the Safeguard Unit. They must also complete a psychological questionnaire, the results of which are checked against past exams for any discrepancies.
The unique experiences of these employees place them at risk for psychological injury, disciplinary actions, and other adverse personal and professional consequences. Leadership commitment is cited as being critical to the effectiveness of the UCE safeguard process. (Credit: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin – Safeguarding Undercover Employees: A Strategy for Success)
Listen to FBI Case File Review episode 
The FBI UC program has come a long way from the early days. I lived in that world and worked closely with Joe (Donnie). He is a friend, pro and was simply the best. Larry Wansley, author of FBI Undercover and Tough Streets, Rough Skies and Sunday Sidelines. larrywansley.com
Larry, I bet you also have a few stories to tell. Nice to hear from you.