Episode 225: Jack Garcia – Undercover Agent, Making Jack Falcone

Retired agent Joaquin “Jack” Garcia served in the FBI for 26 years. During his career, he was assigned to the Newark, San Juan, Philadelphia, and New York Divisions. However, for 24 out of his 26 years of service, he traveled all around the country successfully working undercover in over 100 FBI operations.

In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Jack Garcia reviews several of his early undercover roles and his last role infiltrating the New York mob as “Jack Falcone.”

During this UCA role, Jack played a self-described Sicilian jewel thief and drug dealer from Miami, Florida. In New York, after gaining the trust of mobster Greg DePalma, Jack was able to penetrate the Gambino crime family for nearly three years. The case resulted in the arrest and conviction of 35 mobsters, including the top members of the Gambino crime family.

Jack played his undercover role so convincingly that he was proposed for membership into La Cosa Nostra.

Special Agent (Retired)

Joaquin “Jack” Garcia

1980 – 2006

“When you start to wonder if you can trust someone or not, that’s when you already know you don’t. So even though they pat you down and find nothing, do you think that distrust is going to go away?”—Retired Agent Jack Garcia

Jack Garcia’s history as an undercover agent is  extensive. He is also renowned for his roles in successful cases against corrupt politicians in Atlantic City, New Jersey; corrupt police officers in the Hollywood Police Department, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office; Boston Police Department and in the San Juan, Puerto Rico Police Department. He has also worked undercover against hundreds of drug dealers and leaders of both Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, while posing as either a money launderer, transporter or trafficker. He has done undercover work on National and International terrorism cases as well as National Security investigations. Garcia has also worked undercover against Russian and Asian organized crime groups and several Murder For Hire Investigations. Most remarkably, Garcia worked on many of these cases simultaneously as he juggled his various undercover identities and roles.

Jack is a guest speaker and lecturer at the FBI Academy, the FBI National Academy, and the FBI Citizens Academy on Sensitive Operations and Undercover Agent Training.

He has appeared on 60 Minutes, the Investigative Discovery Channel, CBS Evening News, CBS Early Show, and on Fox’s Good Day New York. He also serves as the volunteer Director of Investigations for Guardians of Rescue, an animal rights and welfare organization whose members work to protect the well-being of all animals and their owners and come to the aid of those in distress.

Jack is author of the New York Times bestseller, “Making Jack Falcone,” where he tells the incredible true story of his attempt to become only the second agent (after “Donnie Brasco”) to become a made man in the Mafia.

His story has been optioned by Paramount Studios for a feature film with Academy award Director Steven Soderbergh and Actor, Benicio Deltoro.

The following links are for articles about FBI undercover agent Jack Garcia:

CBS Early Show (VIDEO) – 10/13/2008:  FBI Agent Sang To Beat The Mob

New York Sun – 3/1/2007:  Meet the FBI’s ‘Best Undercover Agent’

The Mob Museum – TOP 5 UNDERCOVER AGENTS WHO INFILTRATED THE MOB

How Do I Become A… –  8/07/2012:  THE 10 GREATEST FBI AGENTS IN HISTORY

New York Post – 5/16/2007:  ‘BRASCO’ FED’S INSIDE STORY DINED WITH MARIAH AS HE FOOLED MOB

New York Post – 7/25/2005:  STEAMED MUSCLE – MOB EXTORTED POSH GREENWICH EATERY

New York Post – 5/17/2006:  G-MAN HAD IT ‘MADE’ – CAPO EYED HIM FOR MOB

New York Times – 4/21/2006:  Guilty Plea Is New Blow to the Once-Feared Gambinos

Miami New Times – 8/27/1998:  Right Out of a Movie

Philadelphia Inquirer – 5/7/1992:  Cocaine ring with Colombian ties destroyed federal officials claim

This is Jack Garcia’s first time on the show, but his expertise as an undercover agent was discussed during these past episodes:

Episode 134: Michael J. Anderson – Juror Bribery, Obstruction of Justice

Episode 198: James Gagliano – Going Undercover, Living the Dream

Jack Garcia accepting his credentials at his graduation from the FBI Academy in 1980.
Jack demonstrating his strength and fitness during new agent’s training. (I see you KM. And is that AL in the background?)

 

 

 

 

 

Surveillance photo taken by the New York Division’s SOG during one of Jack’s undercover assignments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Garcia was interviewed on 60 Minutes on October 9, 2008. Read a transcript of the episode here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Jack Falcone tells the incredible true story of Garcia’s audacious attempt to become only the second agent (after “Donnie Brasco”) to become a made man in the Mafia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerri Williams

View posts by Jerri Williams
Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, jokes that she writes about the FBI to relive her glory days. After 26 years with the Bureau specializing in major economic fraud and corruption investigations, she calls on her professional encounters with scams and schemers to write police procedurals inspired by true crime FBI cases in her Philadelphia FBI Corruption Squad crime fiction series featuring flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler. Jerri’s FBI for Armchair Detectives nonfiction series enables readers to discover who the FBI is and what the FBI does by debunking misconceptions about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. Her books are available as ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks wherever books are sold. She’s also the host of FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with more than 300 episodes available on all popular podcast apps and YouTube.

3 Comments

  1. Deanne HansenDecember 3, 2021

    Jerri – So far this was my favorite podcast. I enjoyed it so much I bought Jacks book.

    Reply
  2. Candee ButlerMay 28, 2021

    Jerri-I just want you to know how much I have enjoyed your podcast. I’m new in the podcast world but since I now have a son who is an agent I thought I would look into it. I have a feeling that listening to your shows will keep me on my knees and praying for safety for these men and women!
    Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Jerri WilliamsMay 28, 2021

      Thanks for listening! I hope the show also provides you some comfort about the planning and safety measures for every operation. Tell your son I said hello!

      Reply

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