Friends of the Family: The Inside Story of the Mafia Cops Case

by Tommy Dades, Mike Vecchione, David Fisher

A deep dive into “one of the most spectacular cases of police corruption in the city” from the detective and assistant DA who uncovered the truth (The New York Times).Friends of the Family is a look deep inside the most notorious case to rock the The story of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, the two police detectives who moonlighted as mob hitmen. As told by Tommy Dades and Michael Vecchione—the cop and District Attorney investigator who solved New York’s coldest case—along with co-writer David Fisher, Friends of the Family is shocking true crime in the tradition of Nicolas Pileggi’s Wiseguys and Underboss by Peter Mass—a chilling, in-depth examination of what the New York Daily News calls “the worst betrayal of the badge in the NYPD’s history.”“A thorough step-by-step procedural. Author Fisher keeps the narrative moving with a good balance of police work, politics and mafia drama, channeling with authority (and the coaching of Dades and Vecchione) the voices of the street as well as the police force . . . true crime fans should be happy to get past the hype and into the nitty-gritty of this infamous case.” —Publishers Weekly

Genres: True Crime, Crime, Nonfiction, History

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dated in that policing in NYC does not focus on the old mafia families nearly as much as it did in the author’s time. Tommy Dades was a lifelong policeman and detective and the action in this book centers on the 1980s and 90s. He spent much of his career dealing with organized crime. Even as this case was wrapping up in the early 2000s it was apparent that focus on mafia crime was being supplanted by investigations on terrorism and other types of gangs and corruption.

This book should interest anyone who has seen the movie Goodfellas or other films with a similar subject. It’s the story of two really terrible cops who not only used their badges to enrich themselves by passing on information to cronies in the mob, but even went so far as to involve themselves in turning over mobsters who had fallen from grace to their own mob leaders to be tortured and executed. Incredibly, they even personally murdered some individuals, including one unfortunate man who shared the same name as the real wiseguy’s target. In the author’s opinion the worst was the betrayal of all of the NYPD fellow officers.

The book follows the dogged and lengthy case police and law agencies had to develop and shows the strains of different agencies such as NYPD, NY prosecutor’s office and federal agencies working together. Dades and the reader are left with the question of why did these cops do what they did. Were they bent personalities to begin with or did they slip down an awful incline from small corruption to huge betrayal, big time corruption and murder? Why did Dade and thousands of other cops who came from the same mean streets not succumb to the same temptations?

[Timmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book I've read this year. Such an interesting topic, the two most corrupt cops in the history of New York. Two cops who not only gave the Mafia every informant, wiretap and witness against them but also acted as hit men! You cannot top this subject and yet the author somehow managed to #*!$ it up! It was 80% about the two cops background and 20% about the investigation. Poor leadership.

Friends of the Family.....1 star.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was an interesting recap of the news. I would have liked it better if the authors had spent more time detailing the actual investigation and the crimes committed. Instead they just rehashed one or two events, and focused primarily on the Brooklyn DA's fight with the feds after they hi-jacked the investigation.

[Rick Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually give this book 4.5 stars. This is a great true-crime story, about two of the most corrupt and dirty cops in the history of the NYPD. The book details the dogged and determined quest by a team of New York cops and Brooklyn DA's to bring to justice the two rogue detectives, who were virtually on the payroll of Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, a capo in the Lucchese crime family. The story is told brilliantly, and I was quickly immersed in both the horrible tales of corruption and violence which the bad cops had perpetrated; as well as in the unbelievably challenging job faced by the good cops and prosecutors, if they were to have any chance of bringing the bad guys to justice.

The book gives us tremendous insights into the nature of organized crime, big-city law enforcement, the constant temptation to corruption to which so many officers are exposed, the personal toll which the quest for justice takes on those who dare to challenge corruption in high places, and the non-stop lack of cooperation which exists between state and federal law enforcement.

If you enjoy true-crime stories, you will love this book. I highly recommend it.

[Danice · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting blend of crime, law and autobiographics.

[Marti Martinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've somewhat recently completed books on spies Ames, Walker, and Hanssen, so I figured why not read books about turncoat cops. Slimey police should be enjoyable as slimey spies, right? The 2 detectives who wrote the book did have an author's assistance, but that was made clear from the outset. I bet, however, that these 2 detectives wrote very well in their police reports. The book was detailed enough without becoming a drudge to read. No characters or situations devolved into comic stereotypes; facts were explained without the need to have attended law school. The surprising part of the book was the revealed details, personal and familial, about the authors themselves. Thankfully, these did not become a distraction to the story. I must confess to having been totally ignorant of this case.

The part that angered me even more than the sleazy cops was the piss-ant tactics of a few agencies involved with getting the case to trial. RUFKM that the US Atty, the DEA, the FBI, and the NYPD played childish territory games? I was in a damn intel program with multiple agencies and contractors where there was a MOU (memo of understanding) for everything, even down to my initial job as a damn file clerk. The authors should be lauded for exposing this, and now all the agencies involved should be put on trial. Screw time limitations, and take their law credentials.

Now I gotta find a book about corrupt judiciary.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty slow out of the gate, so I found myself sort of wandering off as I read it. For the most part, this is just a good writer regurgitating newspaper clippings in book form. I remember when this story first happened and I followed it pretty closely in the news. I sort of expected and wanted more insider-type stuff in the book, but basically just had a story re-told to me from the play-it-safe eyes of a journalist, a cop, and a lawyer.

[Joseph Scarver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly entertaining and well put together.

I didn't expect too much from this book. It was practically given to me by Amazon Prime, and for that reason I thought this would be a dud. I ended up staying up half the night reading this thriller of a book, I literally couldn't put it down. Great read.

[Carol Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of names and dates to remember, but overall, a great read! Interesting to get the inside story of what it takes to make a case that will hold up in court to put away two lifetime criminals of the worst type - Cops gone bad. Their total disregard for their badges was unbelievable; fueled by their mob connections.

[D. Richard Eunice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty Cops

I read the book Mafia Cop and had questions that were not answered. They have been answered and I honestly believe these two cops were dirty. They used a badge to murder and betray cops not only in New York but around the world. As a former police officer I am very glad they were convicted and will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

[Walter Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told Like It Is

An astounding narrative painting an accurate picture of how OC prosecutions often go in New York City. As I personally and professionally knew many of the Law enforcement personnel featured in the book, it was especially meaningful to me. A shocking factual case worthy of the result.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings me back...

I always wondered about these cops I heard about from the neighborhood and the crimes that happened back then. The book answered a lot of questions and connected all the dots.

[aimee schrantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice, defered

An excellent book, the story of some very bad cops who took advantage of the public's trust & got away with murder for a long time, fortunately some very great hard working people in law enforcement & the justice department made things right.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of legal details

Interesting the rift between federal and the state agencies due to egos and the need to be highly commended despite the state doing the bulk of the investigation. Justice was served nonetheless

[Zane Sterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book!

A very insightful and fact-filled book about corruption in law enforcement, perpetrated by a small group of dirty cops that taints the good name of all!

[Tara Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential but fell short.

[Chaz Chiclana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this read, kinda crazy how a lot of cops back in the day were extremely corrupt. Also demonstrated the beef between state and federal.

[Pamela Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very revealing and interesting

I had not heard of this case or even that New York had this corruption in the police force. Scary.

[Bonnie Pace · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[ken derbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Larry Manch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends of the Family is a fast moving, detailed account of a case of corrupt, murderous cops who killed for the mob. Those involved in the investigation were clearly highly motivated and put in the time and effort. Well told by Tommy Dades, David Fisher, and Michael Vecchione.

[Stephen Koreivo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing story of solving a cold case by putting together a lot of evidence from unrelated sources to punish two cops in a series of despicable murders. The twists, turns, and obstacles thrown up by the bad guys, the legal system, and competivite law enforcement agencies show how difficult prosecution is in reality compared to the quick fixes we witness in television drama. It's a credit to the persistence of the efforts by real law enforcement officials deicated to doing their jobs with dedication and integrity despite various frustrations to overcome righting wrongs done by evil that exists in our society.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how it gave you a look into how a cold case investigation with multiple levels of government and jurisdictions could proceed - good, bad and ugly. This was the worst case of police corruption in the state of New York. There were many times when it looked like it might not actually happen with all of the egos, bureaucracy and underhanded tactics involved, not to mention the challenge of trying to convince key witnesses to testify.

[Joseph Andolino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Unbelievable story and nicely described,

[Larry Van Bibber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent description of the NYPD bad cops who supported the mafia in recent years.

[Jay E Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard fact based real life and death from beginning to the enr

Yes start reading this true life story and you won't stop till you fall asleep or have to go to workout

[Sonny Levine]

DID NOT HOLD MY INTEREST. MAYBE ANOTHER TIME.

[Aleese Dow]

Great read...

Didn’t put it down... The end to organized crime in the 90’s. Great for a quick book to read. Y