Mobbed Up

When do the crimes of a Mafia informant outweigh the benefits of his cooperation with law enforcement? In layman's terms...is it okay that that law enforcement often uses snitches to rat out their fellow criminals? The recent case of Boston bad guy Whitey Burger has been all over the news & this afternoon (Wednesday) at 4:30, I'll have an opportunity to talk with former ABC News correspondent Peter Lance who has covered hundreds of stories world-wide for 20/20, Nightline, & World News Tonight. Peter is the author of the riveting new read, "Deal With The Devil", a page-turning work of investigative journalism that is not to be missed. "Deal With The Devil; The FBI's Secret Thirty-Year Relationship with a Mafia Killer" just hit the bookstores July 2nd. The use of criminals as paid informants is always a dicey proposition, & it becomes especially risky & morally ambiguous as law-enforcement officials move up the criminal food chain to try to nail organized crime figures.Peter Lance illustrates this point in a meticulously researched & frightening account of the long-term relationship between the FBI & vicious Mafia thug Gregory Scarpa Sr...After these stunning relations, readers must ask if the information was worth the carnage that Scarpa continued to inflict. I mean, what can you say about a guy who spent more than 30 years as a paid Top Echelon FBI informant while committing or ordering more than 50 murders & wreaking havoc as a drug dealer, loan shark, bank robber, hijacker, & high-end securities thief! And guess what!...In 42 years of murder & racketeering, Mr. Scarpa served only 30 days in the slammer, thanks to his "SECRET" relationship with the Feds! This interview will make your hair stand up! Check out Lances book, "Deal With The Devil; The FBI's Secret Thirty-Year Relationship with a Mafia Killer" now in bookstores nationwide & at: www.HarperCollins.com. You can visit author, Peter Lance, at: www.peterlance.com. See you at 4:30 this afternoon on the Puffman Show. Perhaps "Crime DOES Pay"!  Like I always say, "You can't buy justice in this country, but you can "rent it" if you have enough money"!.