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Part 5: Ed McDonald: Real Tommy DeSimone Was More Violent Than Joe Pesci's "Goodfellas" Character
Part 1: Ed McDonald on Prosecuting $6M Mafia Lufthansa Heist, Featured in "Goodfellas" Movie
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Former federal prosecutor Ed McDonald breaks down the chaotic reality behind Henry Hill’s time in Witness Protection after cooperating against the Mafia. Speaking with Vlad, McDonald explains how the “Wiseguy” figure later portrayed in *Goodfellas* repeatedly compromised his cover, forcing moves from Omaha to the Cincinnati/Kentucky suburbs and Seattle before the Justice Department cut off support by early 1982.
McDonald details how he tried to keep Hill afloat through FBI help from Steve Carbone, DEA funding, and even NYPD organized crime murder interviews tied to New York’s Five Families. He also discusses Hill’s escalating alcohol-related arrests, including DWI incidents and a bizarre grocery store break-in for beer, before a major Seattle cocaine case involving Peruvian drug dealers in 1987.
The interview offers rare context on Witness Protection, Mafia informants, federal cooperation, the point-shaving case, *Wiseguy*, *Goodfellas*, and how Hill eventually received rehab near Los Angeles instead of a lengthy prison sentence.
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