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We're Going to Win This Thing: The Shocking Frame-up of a Mafia Crime Buster
The riveting front-page news story of an FBI agent falsely accused of ordering four mob hits.
FBI agent Lin DeVecchio was a key player in the New York Mafia wars from the late seventies through the early nineties. Yet despite his stunning success fighting organized crime, DeVecchio was accused of taking bribes, selling information to the man who was his informant, and even personally ordering four mob hits.
Who went after Lin DeVecchio and why? How did a highly respected FBI agent become suspected of corruption and charged with four counts of murder? DeVecchio and bestselling author Charles Brandt go behind the front-page headlines and tell the fascinating story of a law enforcement officer who beat the mob bosses, only to end up fighting for his own freedom.
FBI agent Lin DeVecchio was a key player in the New York Mafia wars from the late seventies through the early nineties. Yet despite his stunning success fighting organized crime, DeVecchio was accused of taking bribes, selling information to the man who was his informant, and even personally ordering four mob hits.
Who went after Lin DeVecchio and why? How did a highly respected FBI agent become suspected of corruption and charged with four counts of murder? DeVecchio and bestselling author Charles Brandt go behind the front-page headlines and tell the fascinating story of a law enforcement officer who beat the mob bosses, only to end up fighting for his own freedom.
- GenresTrue CrimeHistoryCrime
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2011
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114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2013
This is a disturbing look inside the mind of an FBI informant-handler who spent too much of his career in a legal “Twilight Zone” and as a consequence may have lost touch with the fundamental principles of right and wrong. It also provides a window into the shockingly dysfunctional relationships among federal law enforcement and local and federal prosecutors within New York City.
While written in an effort to repair FBI agent Lin DeVecchio's reputation in the wake of unproven charges of official wrongdoing (and to sling a little mud at personal enemies), the book makes a convincing case that DeVecchio is guilty of less formal offenses, including cooperation and friendship with organized criminals, engagement in petty personal vendettas, and an extreme arrogance that excuses otherwise unacceptable behavior as long as it is performed by DeVecchio himself.
DeVecchio seems to fail to understand the deep conflicts of interest which arose from his over-the-line handler relationship with mobster/informant Greg Scarpa. But the reader should have no such problem. He acknowledges that he ignored serious and violent crimes committed by Scarpa in an oddly reasoned effort to keep him "open" as a source of information on others' crimes.
Between his terribly unconvincing denials and his relentless attacks on others, DeVecchio does provide a decent history of the Colombo Crime Family civil war and other mob-related events of the 1970s-1990s. But the true worth of his book will be realized by those who are critical of the FBI's use of confidential informants.
While written in an effort to repair FBI agent Lin DeVecchio's reputation in the wake of unproven charges of official wrongdoing (and to sling a little mud at personal enemies), the book makes a convincing case that DeVecchio is guilty of less formal offenses, including cooperation and friendship with organized criminals, engagement in petty personal vendettas, and an extreme arrogance that excuses otherwise unacceptable behavior as long as it is performed by DeVecchio himself.
DeVecchio seems to fail to understand the deep conflicts of interest which arose from his over-the-line handler relationship with mobster/informant Greg Scarpa. But the reader should have no such problem. He acknowledges that he ignored serious and violent crimes committed by Scarpa in an oddly reasoned effort to keep him "open" as a source of information on others' crimes.
Between his terribly unconvincing denials and his relentless attacks on others, DeVecchio does provide a decent history of the Colombo Crime Family civil war and other mob-related events of the 1970s-1990s. But the true worth of his book will be realized by those who are critical of the FBI's use of confidential informants.
November 30, 2021
DeVecchio and Brandt present a complex narrative that praises the lead author and condemns his detractors. The book claims to allow DeVecchio a chance to tell his side of the story; but it reads more like a personal vendetta. In-between verbal assaults on his enemies, DeVecchio presents an ugly picture of the FBI - informant nexus, all within the backdrop of a mob war.
The tone of the book is overwhelmingly an assault against FBI Agent Chris Favo, whose actions in the early 1990s led to an internal FBI investigation of DeVecchio. The book could have just as easily been titled "Chris Favo is a Bad Guy." Airing DeVecchio's account is secondary to the mud the authors fling on Favo, Favo's fellow FBI agents, and the Eastern District (Brooklyn, NY) attorney's office that eventually prosecuted DeVecchio for murder. Readers interested in Scarpa or the mob war will have to slog through 100s of pages of personal attacks to read about the mob.
And DeVecchio's account of the mob war appears to be solid. Who killed who. Who won....Yes, the crux of the book is DeVecchio slamming his hand on his desk in front of Favo exclaiming "We're going to win this thing." Many readers will assume (Favo apparently did too) that DeVecchio was referring to the Persico Faction, of whom his prized informant, Greg Scarpa Sr., was the primary killer. DeVecchio claims that the FBI would win this thing because so many people would cooperate with them against the mob. Who knows? However, readers may get the idea that DeVecchio's accounting of the mob war seems a bit skewed. He focuses overwhelmingly on four murders (out of about 10-12 with some additional gunplay). These were the murders the Eastern District charged against him in 2006. That is right, his prized informant was killing people willy-nilly in the 1990s, seemingly with the knowledge, if not assistance of DeVecchio. The most glaring case was Scarpa's murder of a rival gangster when the NYPD and FBI surveillance crews mysteriously withdrew from the area in time for Scarpa to kill his victim. Favo and DeVecchio point accusing fingers at each other. One would think it would be easy to show who pulled the surveillance teams....
Speaking of Scarpa, DeVecchio acknowledges that he was a prolific killer. He does not tell readers how many people he killed, or was suspected of killing. However, DeVecchio knew that he was a killer and the crucial player on the Persico Faction in the war. Removing him would significantly weaken the violence. DeVecchio attributes a lot of information from Scarpa as assisting the FBI in its successful cases in the 1980s. Readers should be skeptical. Scarpa was a soldier for much of his time as an informant (going back to the 1960s!). How DeVecchio attributes to him crucial intelligence needed for the Commission Case, or any other case is spurious. Reports that the FBI flew Scarpa to Mississippi in the 1960s to torture KKK members into divulging evidence to solve some Freedom Summer murders seems to fantastic to be factual. Really? The FBI turned to a low-level Mafia thug to kidnap and torture murder suspects? Really?
DeVecchio's attempts to describe Scarpa as a complex individual with good and bad qualities turns his relationship with Scarpa into a scary mirror image of that between Dishonest John Connolly and Whitey Bulger. Both Bulger and Scarpa were long-time informants. Both delivered vague information that was glorified by their handlers. Both continued their reign of terror (including many homicides) with the approval if not direct assistance of their FBI handlers. Their handlers walked a very fine line between staying straight and going native. It is possible that without Steve Flemmi's testimony, Connolly may have skated through just like DeVecchio. DeVecchio and Brandt studiously avoid the scandal in Boston that draws obvious parallels to DeVecchio's relationship with Scarpa.
His efforts to rehabilitate his good and honorable friend, Scarpa, withstanding, DeVecchio goes into painful detail exculpating himself from every allegation. More than that, he then twists it around to blame Favo for everything. He goes so far as to blame the mob war on Favo. Much of it is subjective. An argument could advance the idea that Favo started the war. A similar argument could be made that Scarpa started it. Maybe even DeVecchio could have started it. Would there have been a war if DeVecchio did not protect, or at least condone Scarpa on the street? The fact remains that Scarpa was a prolific mob killer and he stayed on the street (and out of prison for the most part) for most of his criminal career. It is easy to suspect the FBI did more for him than the casual sentencing memo that DeVecchio wrote for a pithy credit card fraud case.
Overall, I remain unconvinced of DeVecchio's innocence. He makes some good counterpoints. But this book is extremely biased. The mud flung carelessly around dirties everyone, DeVecchio included. The writing style also obfuscates. There is a rough chronological order; but DeVecchio's narrative leapfrogs back and forth through space and time so much that readers will quickly get overwhelmed and disoriented in a 500+ page paperback. It is this intentional obfuscation and the mudslinging that bothered me the most. His entire scandal could simply have been Favo sharing his concerns about DeVecchio with DeVecchio's boss, and the boss doubling back to protect his own. DeVecchio may not have worn Connolly's Gucci loafers and gold necklaces; but he freely admits walking the line between legal and illegal frequently to keep his alpha informant on the street. The sometimes seedy relationship between federal agents and informants is on gross display, as informants may reap windfall profits through sharing what they know, suspect, or want the FBI to believe.
The tone of the book is overwhelmingly an assault against FBI Agent Chris Favo, whose actions in the early 1990s led to an internal FBI investigation of DeVecchio. The book could have just as easily been titled "Chris Favo is a Bad Guy." Airing DeVecchio's account is secondary to the mud the authors fling on Favo, Favo's fellow FBI agents, and the Eastern District (Brooklyn, NY) attorney's office that eventually prosecuted DeVecchio for murder. Readers interested in Scarpa or the mob war will have to slog through 100s of pages of personal attacks to read about the mob.
And DeVecchio's account of the mob war appears to be solid. Who killed who. Who won....Yes, the crux of the book is DeVecchio slamming his hand on his desk in front of Favo exclaiming "We're going to win this thing." Many readers will assume (Favo apparently did too) that DeVecchio was referring to the Persico Faction, of whom his prized informant, Greg Scarpa Sr., was the primary killer. DeVecchio claims that the FBI would win this thing because so many people would cooperate with them against the mob. Who knows? However, readers may get the idea that DeVecchio's accounting of the mob war seems a bit skewed. He focuses overwhelmingly on four murders (out of about 10-12 with some additional gunplay). These were the murders the Eastern District charged against him in 2006. That is right, his prized informant was killing people willy-nilly in the 1990s, seemingly with the knowledge, if not assistance of DeVecchio. The most glaring case was Scarpa's murder of a rival gangster when the NYPD and FBI surveillance crews mysteriously withdrew from the area in time for Scarpa to kill his victim. Favo and DeVecchio point accusing fingers at each other. One would think it would be easy to show who pulled the surveillance teams....
Speaking of Scarpa, DeVecchio acknowledges that he was a prolific killer. He does not tell readers how many people he killed, or was suspected of killing. However, DeVecchio knew that he was a killer and the crucial player on the Persico Faction in the war. Removing him would significantly weaken the violence. DeVecchio attributes a lot of information from Scarpa as assisting the FBI in its successful cases in the 1980s. Readers should be skeptical. Scarpa was a soldier for much of his time as an informant (going back to the 1960s!). How DeVecchio attributes to him crucial intelligence needed for the Commission Case, or any other case is spurious. Reports that the FBI flew Scarpa to Mississippi in the 1960s to torture KKK members into divulging evidence to solve some Freedom Summer murders seems to fantastic to be factual. Really? The FBI turned to a low-level Mafia thug to kidnap and torture murder suspects? Really?
DeVecchio's attempts to describe Scarpa as a complex individual with good and bad qualities turns his relationship with Scarpa into a scary mirror image of that between Dishonest John Connolly and Whitey Bulger. Both Bulger and Scarpa were long-time informants. Both delivered vague information that was glorified by their handlers. Both continued their reign of terror (including many homicides) with the approval if not direct assistance of their FBI handlers. Their handlers walked a very fine line between staying straight and going native. It is possible that without Steve Flemmi's testimony, Connolly may have skated through just like DeVecchio. DeVecchio and Brandt studiously avoid the scandal in Boston that draws obvious parallels to DeVecchio's relationship with Scarpa.
His efforts to rehabilitate his good and honorable friend, Scarpa, withstanding, DeVecchio goes into painful detail exculpating himself from every allegation. More than that, he then twists it around to blame Favo for everything. He goes so far as to blame the mob war on Favo. Much of it is subjective. An argument could advance the idea that Favo started the war. A similar argument could be made that Scarpa started it. Maybe even DeVecchio could have started it. Would there have been a war if DeVecchio did not protect, or at least condone Scarpa on the street? The fact remains that Scarpa was a prolific mob killer and he stayed on the street (and out of prison for the most part) for most of his criminal career. It is easy to suspect the FBI did more for him than the casual sentencing memo that DeVecchio wrote for a pithy credit card fraud case.
Overall, I remain unconvinced of DeVecchio's innocence. He makes some good counterpoints. But this book is extremely biased. The mud flung carelessly around dirties everyone, DeVecchio included. The writing style also obfuscates. There is a rough chronological order; but DeVecchio's narrative leapfrogs back and forth through space and time so much that readers will quickly get overwhelmed and disoriented in a 500+ page paperback. It is this intentional obfuscation and the mudslinging that bothered me the most. His entire scandal could simply have been Favo sharing his concerns about DeVecchio with DeVecchio's boss, and the boss doubling back to protect his own. DeVecchio may not have worn Connolly's Gucci loafers and gold necklaces; but he freely admits walking the line between legal and illegal frequently to keep his alpha informant on the street. The sometimes seedy relationship between federal agents and informants is on gross display, as informants may reap windfall profits through sharing what they know, suspect, or want the FBI to believe.
September 20, 2021
The Governmental Mafioso explaining why the public not only had to pay him restaurants, hotels, and five star travels ”for the greater good” of his mobster buddies, but why you should pay him a generous pension.
December 20, 2012
I received this from Amazon.com, and just finished reading the book "We're Going To Win This Thing" by Lin DeVecchio and to say it left me with bitter feelings would be an understatement. I was so disgusted reading about both FBI Agents and Officer's of the Court and of a prejudicial Judge that I wanted to vent to them personally but that would be impractical and legally unwise.
In a prior life, I have witnessed treachery and duplicity but never on a level such as was outlined in DeVecchio's revealing book. I have seen criminals with greater integrity than a couple of the FBI Agents that worked for DeVecchio in the New York Office of the FBI.
For the uninitiated who read this book, the time line may seem confusing but this whole magilla of a persecution against the author can not be laid out in a easy chronology of events. Working with informants is both a dangerous as well as a most rewarding experience. In this case the informant was long dead and therefore could never be interviewed in connection with the integrity issues orbiting DeVecchio.. Gregory Scarpa for all the viciousness he represented in his chosen life, I believe was a man of honor and would have come to DeVecchio's assistance with trumpets blaring. But the kind of life Scarpa lived, he surrounded himself with people he would have instantly "wacked" if they ever tried this kind of treachery that DeVechioo suffered at the hands of his friends.
DeVecchio's traitors within the FBI have "skated" for now but these individuals have to live with themselves and face their maker one day.
When you read this book, please keep an open mind to all the good and great things agents like DeVecchio did and continue to do for this country. Like all societies, there are always a couple of rotten apples that stir the waters so that things are not quite clear. DeVecchio was investigated by the best law enforcement organization in the world and it was found that the initial allegation by a treacherous and jealous agent were with out merit. His murder trial was a travesty of the highest order but like in most cases the truth always wins.
I highly recommend reading this book. It is a fast read but emotionally disturbing.
In a prior life, I have witnessed treachery and duplicity but never on a level such as was outlined in DeVecchio's revealing book. I have seen criminals with greater integrity than a couple of the FBI Agents that worked for DeVecchio in the New York Office of the FBI.
For the uninitiated who read this book, the time line may seem confusing but this whole magilla of a persecution against the author can not be laid out in a easy chronology of events. Working with informants is both a dangerous as well as a most rewarding experience. In this case the informant was long dead and therefore could never be interviewed in connection with the integrity issues orbiting DeVecchio.. Gregory Scarpa for all the viciousness he represented in his chosen life, I believe was a man of honor and would have come to DeVecchio's assistance with trumpets blaring. But the kind of life Scarpa lived, he surrounded himself with people he would have instantly "wacked" if they ever tried this kind of treachery that DeVechioo suffered at the hands of his friends.
DeVecchio's traitors within the FBI have "skated" for now but these individuals have to live with themselves and face their maker one day.
When you read this book, please keep an open mind to all the good and great things agents like DeVecchio did and continue to do for this country. Like all societies, there are always a couple of rotten apples that stir the waters so that things are not quite clear. DeVecchio was investigated by the best law enforcement organization in the world and it was found that the initial allegation by a treacherous and jealous agent were with out merit. His murder trial was a travesty of the highest order but like in most cases the truth always wins.
I highly recommend reading this book. It is a fast read but emotionally disturbing.
September 19, 2022
I bought this to support Special Agent DeVecchio
With the abuses by the FBI in full bloom, we can see the purge of Republicans starting 20 years ago with Lin Devecchio. Luckly, recordings surfaced to prove his innocence and there should have been a malicious prosecution lawsuit against the DA to recover his legal fees. I am about half done but I wanted to give 5 stars because I know the story because of Joe Pistone's second book. The FBI is now becoming the NVKD as it is now fully taken over by communist Democrats who are using the power of this once great law enforcement agency, now reduced to one ignoring the signs of mass shootings, and instead have become the armed wing of the Democrat party to harass the political opposition.
Lin lost everything because of a liberal with no sense of humor. I wonder if Favo isn't now head of the department that polices pronouns, wearing oversized prosthetic breasts and a dress, wearing tampons to stop a n a l leakage while screaming F Trump!!!
Hopefully, in November everything flips and Congress can investigate the purge of Republicans at the FBI. I would date this woke takeover the same year they went after DeVecchio and it's been progressing since. Every MAGA should read this book to support this agent whose type no longer exists at the FBI. Hopefully, we can close down this agency and create a new one that will never be used to influence elections ever again. They never once investigated Biden's junkie son.
Jimtdavis
Philly
With the abuses by the FBI in full bloom, we can see the purge of Republicans starting 20 years ago with Lin Devecchio. Luckly, recordings surfaced to prove his innocence and there should have been a malicious prosecution lawsuit against the DA to recover his legal fees. I am about half done but I wanted to give 5 stars because I know the story because of Joe Pistone's second book. The FBI is now becoming the NVKD as it is now fully taken over by communist Democrats who are using the power of this once great law enforcement agency, now reduced to one ignoring the signs of mass shootings, and instead have become the armed wing of the Democrat party to harass the political opposition.
Lin lost everything because of a liberal with no sense of humor. I wonder if Favo isn't now head of the department that polices pronouns, wearing oversized prosthetic breasts and a dress, wearing tampons to stop a n a l leakage while screaming F Trump!!!
Hopefully, in November everything flips and Congress can investigate the purge of Republicans at the FBI. I would date this woke takeover the same year they went after DeVecchio and it's been progressing since. Every MAGA should read this book to support this agent whose type no longer exists at the FBI. Hopefully, we can close down this agency and create a new one that will never be used to influence elections ever again. They never once investigated Biden's junkie son.
Jimtdavis
Philly
July 20, 2015
A revealing journey to the underworld on both sides of the law. This is the story of a successful Mafia-destroying FBI agent who is betrayed by a fellow agent, a U.S. Attorney, and a judge. Their aim is to pin Mafia murders on him alleging that he supplied the Mob with information enabling their hits. His account reveals how political ambition can skew the demands of justice when linked with the testimony of Mafia prison inmates seeking sentence reductions. It is a roller coaster of a tale, relatively well told, though occasionally repetitive. In all, an eye-opening, disturbing account of the behavior of those who commit heinous crimes and those who pursue them, while often simultaneously pursuing their own personal agenda.
February 14, 2012
This book is killing me. It should be interesting - a book about catching and prosecuting mobsters in the 80s and 90s should have something interesting to say. But it's SO badly written I want to scream. Not sure I'm gonna make it.
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