Witsec: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program

by Pete Earley, Gerald Shur

For decades no law enforcement program has been as cloaked in controversy and mystery as the Federal Witness Protection Program. Now, for the first time, Gerald Shur, the man credited with the creation of WITSEC, teams with acclaimed investigative journalist Pete Earley to tell the inside story of turncoats, crime-fighters, killers, and ordinary human beings caught up in a life-and-death game of deception in the name of justice.

WITSEC
Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program

When the government was losing the war on organized crime in the early 1960s, Gerald Shur, a young attorney in the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, urged the department to entice mobsters into breaking their code of silence with promises of protection and relocation. But as high-ranking mob figures came into the program, Shur discovered that keeping his witnesses alive in the face of death threats involved more than eradicating old identities and creating new ones. It also meant cutting off families from their pasts and giving new identities to wives and children, as well as to mob girlfriends and mistresses.

It meant getting late-night phone calls from protected witnesses unable to cope with their new lives. It meant arranging funerals, providing financial support, and in one instance even helping a mobster’s wife get breast implants. And all too often it meant odds that a protected witness would return to what he knew best–crime.

In this book Shur gives a you-are-there account of infamous witnesses, from Joseph Valachi to “Sammy the Bull” Gravano to “Fat Vinnie” Teresa, of the lengths the program goes to to keep its charges safe, and of cases that went very wrong and occasionally even protected those who went on to kill again.

He describes the agony endured by innocent people who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up in a program tailored to criminals. And along with Shur’s war stories, WITSEC draws on the haunting words of one mob wife, who vividly describes her life of lies, secrecy, and loss inside the program.

A powerful true story of the inner workings of one of the most effective and controversial weapons in the war against organized crime and the inner workings of organized crime itself–and more recently against Colombian drug dealers, outlaw motorcycle gang members, white-collar con men, and international terrorists–this book takes us into a tense, dangerous twilight world carefully hidden in plain where the family living next door might not be who they say they are. . .

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Crime, Politics, Research, Reference

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Pete Earley is a storyteller who has penned 13 books including the New York Times bestseller The Hot House and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.
After a 14-year career in journalism, including six years at The Washington Post, Pete became a full-time author with a commitment to expose the stories that entertain and surprise.
His honest reporting and compelling writing helped him garner success as one of few authors with ”the power to introduce new ideas and give them currency,” according to Washingtonian magazine.
When Pete’s life was turned upside down by the events recounted in his book Crazy, he joined the National Alliance of Mental Illness to advocate for strong mental health reform on the public stage.

Reviews

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an amazing chronicle of the WITSEC program. It's beginning, it's growth, it's successes, and it's mistakes. Absolutely a great read!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing spectacular but a solid 3 star read. Obviously, this is the sort of book you read for facts, not beautiful prose. I learned a lot about the Federal Witness Protection Program - reading about the formation and growth of it was fascinating. There was no master plan, it was all very ad hoc, fly by the seat of your pants for a long long time. I now understand why Henry Hill bitched so much about the program when he was a guest on the Howard Stern show lol.

You do not want to go into hiding like this unless some drug cartel is planning to torture and murder you. It's no walk in the park, uprooting yourself & never seeing anyone you know ever again. After reading this book, I would not have hidden from the American Mob unless I was the actual witness/informer; it didn't seem like the old mob would really murder someone's 5 year old. The Mexican cartels on the other hand, dude, they would 100% torture and kill a 5 year old. At one point one of the older mob guys warned the program that the new witnesses put in the WITSEC prison(sometimes you are first relocated to a special prison where you serve your sentence before getting a new identity)were really sketchy sociopaths and maybe the government should rethink saving some of these people. You know you are a crazy murderer when other crazy murderers think you are too crazy.

This was better than the book about the formation of the FBI hostage negotiator team but not as interesting as the one about the FBI's (serial killer profile program.

[L Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This nonfiction book about the US witness protection program isn't just a history but more of a collection of stories that when strung together tell the history. It's also the personal story of the man behind the program which provides a man character for the book. The book was very interesting in the beginning but began to be tedious about midway through. Maybe the stories started to sound too much alike at that point. Progression of the story seemed to bog down. I actually quit reading for a few months and finally started it again because it was so overdue at the library. I also felt compelled to finish what I started. The last quarter of the book was much more interesting and the pace picked up again. Part of the reason is the evolution of crime and the program changed rapidly during the time period covered in this final section.

In any book related to the mob and criminal activity, there is foul language, violence, and some sexual activity (although I don't remember anything sexually graphic). For high school age and older. It's a good reference book for someone doing research into the program or crime, but it's also an interesting read for anyone who has a fascination with these subjects.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been interested in government books, especially those dealing with agencies like the CIA and FBI. When this came out, I was so excited to read it because I've also always had some weird fascination with the Witness Protection program. Something that could so easily make someone disappear into thin air sounded really cool!

I liked this book because it not only gave the history of the department, but it dealt with the trials and tribulations the department's founder, Gerald Shur, dealt with on a daily basis. He had a vision, and no matter how little support he received from the government (financial or otherwise), he was determined to make this work, and he did. Often times he sacrificed his own safety for the security of the mobsters his department was trying to protect, but he did it out of a closely held conviction he'd had from his childhood.

The book is a little slow going, talking about Gerald growing up in NYC and his law career, but once it takes off into when the program is finally getting off the ground, it makes for a very interesting read.

[Michele Wilder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this a 3 star and not higher just because I found the language disagreeable. I know...this is non-fiction about stressful situations and criminals, and such language is to be expected. But still, I don't like it and never will. I only kept going because I was reading the book for research.

With that said, I otherwise found it quite informative and very interesting. You have to hand it to Shur, those in law enforcement, and, yes, the witnesses for their varied, difficult, and important roles.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read about the creation of the witness protection program. I had trouble following the chronology though I understand the choices the author made. Parts 1 and 2 were solid. Quite honestly, you could skip Parts 3 & 4... at the most skim them.
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Legend
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Can't stop talking about/want to re-read
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Recommend without equivocation
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Enjoyed and recommend with caveats
⭐️⭐️ = Finished but don't recommend
⭐️ = Couldn't finish

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program is the interesting but awkward collaboration between Gerald Shur, the founder of WITSEC, and Pete Earley, a writer who happened to be working on a WITSEC book at the same time that Shur was writing his autobiography. When each learned what the other was up to, they decided to join forces, and the results are uneven. Though the book takes pains to include criticisms of the sometimes troubled program, Shur, of course, always gets the last word such that the book often reads like a strange tribute to him for which he provided long, measured quotations that are awkwardly tagged "Shur recalled," "Shur would later remember," and so on. The book gets weaker as it goes, as it gets a bit repetitious and then drifts into facets of Shur's biography unrelated to the history of WITSEC. On the whole, then, not great, but certainly worth reading if you're interested in the subject.

[Terry Southard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough book about an interesting topic. It could have been better if they had included more personal insights from those inside the program - some were included, but not enough. I felt like they were honest about the problems with the program. And it made me consider some sides of the issue I had not thought about before.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots if interesting information, but not very well written.

[Terry R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

WITSEC – Pete Earley and Gerald Shur – Completed 04/04/2025
To my wife, J.E.M.; children, B.J.M.; A.N.C.; T.L.L. and their spouses.
This morning coffee book is the complete story of the development of a government program called WITSEC or Witness Security. The father of the program is one of the authors, Gerald Shur. When President Kennedy was in office, his brother Bobby Kennedy was the Attorney General. His goal was to go after organized crime organizations such as the mafia or really know as La Cosa Nostra (LCN) an group that originated in Sicily. Shur, was an attorney working in the Justice Department and quickly discovered that if you testified against the LCN, you were killed, thus WITSEC began. The book goes into great details about the initial concept, development, and both the success and failures of the program. It speaks to specific prosecutions of mafia cases and individuals to testified against them.
Secretly relocating thousands of people over the years, providing some initial funding to get started with new identity’s, re-created records to protect them and family members. Most lived out their new lives in secret. Many could not adjust to being moved to where ever and never having contact with friends or family again.
The Mafia could not have been brought down without the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law that helps prosecute organized crime, which passed in 1970 and the WITSEC program started in late 1960.
Some very close friends of mine used to live in Orange Co, CA and had a very successful veterinarian business. We traveled on vacations with them often. Reading this book while on vacation with them, I read a page or two that discussed many WITSEC people were relocated to Orange Co, CA. They suspected a couple of neighbors who could have belonged in the program. It’s still a small world and forever living looking over your shoulder, waiting to be wacked is not a comfortable life. Crime does not pay.
Read the book.
Love Dad, T.R.M.
Second copy given to Four Seasons Library

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about the FBI and CIA have always excited me. I did get to see the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. when I was young and I have never forgotten about it. But the Witness Protection Program holds a special fasination for me. It seems almost like a fantasy progran run by the federal government. The need for it is scary. People are out looking for you and your family with the goal in mind of killing you. You need a new name, a new occupation and new location. You have to obey very strict rules to stay in the program. You cannot tell your parents, brothers or sisters what your current name is and where you live.

The good part of the results of this program is that if you have been a criminal, you have a second chance, a new start in life. Three fourths of the people in the program, obey the rules and are grateful. Not so good if you were a victim of crimes because in order to gain protection you have to give up your family ties and you may not like where you have been placed.

The history of how this program developed out of a need to protect gangsters who told on their bosses is fascinating and well known people get involved in the cases. I was shocked by Jeb Bush's actions and learned about reporter Geraldo Rivera's sleazy tricks. I admired all the work that Gerald
Shur's bravery and his wife's wisdom. He is a true Federal Goverment hero to me. He had plenfy of memories of beginnings of this program and fought hard for its existance.

I purchased a paper back copy of this to satisfy my curiosity of how this program began. I highly recommend to anyone interested in the law enforcement agencies. I never got bored, just hungry for more!

[Rachel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of the witness protection program. I learned a lot, and I now have mixed feelings about the program. I didn't realize so many of the protected witnesses (around 90%) were hardcore criminals themselves, or the ridiculous and expensive demands that government officials were willing to give in to. For instance, taxpayer funds have been used to provide various breast and penis implants. Yes, really. The government has bought businesses for some, and one witness received the equivalent of a six-figure salary for ten years straight - and this was 40-50 years ago!

Unfortunately, there is profanity, including God's name used as a curse word; some crude, sexual humor; and blunt depictions of violent acts.

[Gerry Durisin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-1/2 stars. This history of the federal Witness Protection Program was interesting but a bit repetitive and just went on too long. I was surprised that it had never really occurred to me that the protected witnesses were all either Mafia or relatives of Mafia. Apparently this program was successful in convincing enough mobsters to turn on their bosses that it led to hundreds, possibly thousands, of convictions but the book left me unconvinced that it was all worth the time and money — millions of dollars spent on individual witnesses in some cases — our government has spent on protecting some 19,000 people since the early 1970s.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the subject, this is an interesting read.

This is a detailed history of the development of federal government program. A reader should NOT expect an exciting, thrill ride.

The book does a good job of explaining the problems/frustrations that necessitated the development of the program and the bureaucratic obstacles that had to be overcome.

It also provides a lot of anecdotes about how the program impacted peoples' lives those in Witsec and those who were also affected by it.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked less of a surface description of the beginnings of Witsec and more delving into the ethical implications of the program. I don't know if the lack of depth is because Shur -- who created Witsec -- is a co-author, so there is never more than a "this was a hard decision but we did the right thing" response to the problems caused by Witsec, or if it is Earley's staccato, just-the-facts-ma'am type writing style that is the problem. Disappointing.

[Katrina Lorfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look inside a, by definition, very secretive world. Aside from Suhr, I had a hard to tracking all the “characters”, but given the vignette style that was laced through the large story of the history of the witness protection program, this wasn’t as distracting as it might have been in a different book. This one went on a little long for my taste, but I definitely enjoyed many of the individual stories.

[Kathryn Castles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely readable history of WITSEC. A bit unfocused as it feels divided between Shur's history and a general history of the programme - sometimes whole years seem missed out and it's a bit sketchy when it's not talking about the early days. The Witness X story, though short, was the strongest part for me. A good read with some interesting stories.

[Gonzaga Escauriaza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es interesante el asunto de los testigos que tienen que cambiar su identidad y abandonar a sus familias y su propia historia.
La primera parte es un poco más tediosa pero la narración de una de las protagonistas es muy buena y entiendes los problemas en los que se pueden ver involucrados los afectados.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and eye-opening book about the establishment of the witness protection program, its growing pains, successes, and failures. The authors take you behind the scenes and you'll gain a great appreciation for the witnesses, the hardships they endure, and the WITSEC inspectors tasked to keep them safe.

[Jane I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book

Good book that tells you about the ups & downs of the Federal Witness Protection Program. Very interesting how it was really a “winging it” organization at first until they were able to get rules, regulations & etc into place. I enjoyed this book, but also realized that it is one person’s perspective.

[Erin Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting look inside the beginning of the Witness Protection program and the man who started it. Fascinating stories of the witnesses that were protected and what their lives were like.

[Christine Saper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like several others, I bought this book for research. The history of the program is fascinating, and I very much enjoyed how candid Mr Shur was throughout, not just in terms of the obstacles facing the program, but in his very compassionate and human approach.

[Jordyn Redwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A non-fiction book written by the one who started WITSEC AKA The Witness Protection Program. I used it as background information for my novel releasing in June, 2023. I definitely enjoyed it. If crime non-fiction is your thing-- an intriguing read for sure.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earley skillfully takes the reader through the bureaucratic nightmare of creating the WITSEC program, necessary but pretty boring. When he turns to the actual nuts and bolts of caring for people entered into the system, hold onto your hat.

[Katie Mcclung · Rating 4 out of 5]

The personal story from a witness and various anecdotes about people’s experiences with WITSEC were very interesting. Other parts regarding the more technical, office politic stuff was less so, but overall it’s a solid book. Well researched and put together nicely.

[Peg Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a real interesting book and I am glad I read it.

[Todd Harra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kind of stuff fascinates me--the behind the scenes look at setting up the first and best witness protection program in the world.

[ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!!!!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history

I really enjoyed this history of the witsec program. The characters made me really think about what they had to go through.

[Jeannie Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for research into the workings of the Witness Protection Program.