Long Con - by Steven G O'Donnell & Mike Stanton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Long Con is the remarkable true story of Steven G. O'Donnell, a Rhode Island state police detective who spent six years undercover infiltrating the New England Mafia. No Rhode Island State Police detective had ever gone undercover for so long, and none have since. He posed as a gambler, a bookie, a thief, a drug dealer, an armored car robber. As a member of law enforcement, O'Donnell couldn't share those secrets. Now, for the first time, he can.

The Long Con is a fast-paced narrative that will take the reader behind the scenes to reveal the Mafia's inner workings and the true nature of police undercover work. It will tell O'Donnell's story, starting with his unlikely path to law enforcement and detailing how he built cases against hundreds of criminals, including scores of organized crime figures in New England's Patriarca crime family. Steeped in New England mob history, The Long Con will appeal to true-crime fans everywhere. Among O'Donnell's many accolades and mementoes is a photo of him with another successful undercover agent he taught with at the FBI's undercover training academy in Quantico, Virginia - Joe Pistone, aka "Donnie Brasco," the FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno and Colombo Mafia families in New York.

About the Author

Mike Stanton is a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter and author of the New York Times bestseller The Prince of Providence and Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World, named one of the best books of the year by the Wall Street Journal & Times of London. A journalism professor at the University of Connecticut, Stanton covered organized crime as a longtime Providence Journal reporter, where he got to know Steve O'Donnell. He has been a Boston Globe Spotlight Fellow and a Knight Fellow at Stanford University.

Steven G. O'Donnell is the former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, where he served for 28-1/2 years, retiring in 2016, and former U.S. Marshall for Rhode Island. He is a private law-enforcement consultant and court-recognized expert in organized crime, undercover operations, narcotics investigations and general law enforcement policies, procedures and best practices. He is a law-enforcement analyst for WPRI television in Rhode Island and an adjunct faculty member at Salve Regina University, teaching organized crime, undercover operations and police leadership. He has been head lacrosse coach at La Salle Academy in Providence, his alma mater, since 2007, winning 14 straight Rhode Island state championships through 2026.