ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people helped us write this book. We thank them all, starting with Alfonso D’Arco, the kid from Kent Avenue who rose to run the Luchese crime family and then helped bring it tumbling down. He said he would answer every question, and he was true to his word. Dolores, his bride of fifty-eight years, helped fill in many blanks. Joseph D’Arco also shared his recollections and was crucially open about his own hard times.

Many current and former members of the law enforcement community gave invaluable help. Heading the list are former FBI agent Bob Marston and former federal prosecutors Tony Siano and Greg O’Connell. All three were there as Al D’Arco evolved from a dedicated mobster into a dedicated government witness. We thank them for taking the time to share their insights, as well as the high points and low points they encountered along the way.

Mike Campi, Lou Gandolfo, John Kapp, Joe Ponzi, and Eric Seidel also provided unique assistance about a variety of topics.

Detective-investigator extraordinaire Kenny McCabe gets a special mention for help he provided the authors before he died. So do the late former prosecutors Mario DiNatale and Charles Rose, who worked together on the Windows case, and the great private eye Lawrence Frost, also gone much too soon.

We also express appreciation to the folks who helped us, but explicitly asked us not to mention them. They know who they are. Others who helped along the way include: William Bastone, Chris Blank, Ellen Borakove, Stephen Byrne, Dan Castleman, Jim DeVita, Lou DiGregorio, Mark Feldman, John Flanagan, Martin Geduldig, Roger Greenbank, Elie Honig, Ed McDonald, Daniel McGillicuddy, Sal Miciotta, Wells Morrison, Alfred McNeil, Jim Margolin, Matty O’Brien, Jim O’Connor, Vinny Panzarino, William Rashbaum, Murray Richman, Dick Rudolph, Ken Santare, Jeff Schaffler, Jerry Shargel, George Terra, Angela Troisi, Joseph Veltre, and Joel Winograd. Some in this last group were wise enough never to have actually spoken to us. But we include their names here because their work in one way or another helped us tell the story.

We also thank the many friends and family members who supported us and put up with us—and our absence—while we worked, especially our respective mates, Barbara Capeci and Susan Mastrangelo.

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press honcho Tom Dunne and his talented team, including Rob Kirkpatrick, Nicole Sohl, and Joe Rinaldi. Attorney Ellis Levine kept us in check.

Lastly, thanks to our ever-upbeat literary agent, Ed Breslin, who kept on pushing to make this happen.