The Mafia Cops #LouEppolito #SteveCaracappa #GaspipeCasso #NYPD #JimmyHydell #Corruption

The Mafia Cops Mr. Eppolito and his partner, Stephen Caracappa, were convicted of taking part in eight gangland murders in New York’s “Mafia Cop” scandal. Louis Eppolito was practically born into the Mafia. His father was a Gambino family soldier known as Fat the Gangster. An uncle known as Jimmy the Clam, a grandfather and a cousin were made men, too. By age 10, Louis was joining his father on his bookmaking rounds. A life in organized crime seemed preordained, but Louis’s interest faded after several relatives were killed by rival gangsters. So after graduating from high school, Louis went in a different direction: he joined the New York Police Department. It was an unlikely career that earned him many medals and headlines. But Mr. Eppolito would end up at the center of one of the biggest scandals in department history. He and a fellow detective, Stephen Caracappa, were convicted in 2006 of moonlighting as mob assassins, involved in eight gangland slayings while on the payroll of Anthony Casso, a Luchese crime family underboss known as Gaspipe. Mr. Eppolito, 71, died on Nov. 3 at a hospital in Tucson, Ariz., his wife, Frances Ann Eppolito, confirmed this week, without providing a cause. He had been serving a life sentence at the high-security United States penitentiary nearby. After their arrest, Mr. Eppolito and Mr. Caracappa, who died at a medical detention facility in 2017 at 75, became widely known as the “Mafia Cops.” The nickname came easily: Mr. Eppolito had already written a memoir, “Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob” (1992), in which he recounted his mob pedigree. Louis John Eppolito was born on July 22, 1948, in Brooklyn and grew up in East Flatbush, according to the memoir. His father, Ralph, was a professional criminal. His mother, Theresa, was a registered nurse. Mr. Eppolito knew by the time he was 12 that his father killed people for pay, he acknowledged on Sally Jessy Raphael’s talk show in 1992 while promoting his book. But he did not know details. The following exchange, he said, was typical. Editors’ Picks “If I said to him, ‘What happened to this guy?’ He’d say ‘He had to go.’” “Go where, Dad? Where did he go? To St. Louis?” “No. He’s gone.” According to “Mafia Cop,” Ralph Eppolito beat his son often, but also instilled in him a lifelong respect for “honor and loyalty.” Louis Eppolito attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, where he played several sports and graduated in 1966. He got into bodybuilding, and was crowned Mr. New York City in 1967. Mr. Eppolito’s father died before his son entered the Police Academy. It was good timing. “He hated cops with a passion,” Mr. Eppolito told Ms. Raphael. But Louis Eppolito saw similarities between police officers and gangsters: Both lived by a strict code. And both, he believed, could deliver justice as they saw fit. Mr. Eppolito joined the police force in 1969, the same year as Mr. Caracappa. They rose through the ranks and first worked together a decade later. Mr. Eppolito came under suspicion in April 1984 when the authorities raided the New Jersey home of Rosario Gambino, a mobster and heroin trafficker. There, investigators found copies of dozens of confidential intelligence reports on organized crime figures, according to court records. The copies had been made at the precinct where Mr. Eppolito was assigned at the time, and his fingerprints were on them, court filings showed. Mr. Eppolito was suspended and hit with internal charges, but he was cleared after a departmental trial. He claimed in his book that he had been totally vindicated, saying the case was an effort by his enemies to set him up. Please subscribe, like, and turn on notifications if you enjoyed the video! SUPPORT POC --------------------------------------------------- ►►► Become a YouTube Member to get access to perks:    / @policeoffthecuff   ► GET MERCH: https://shop.policeoffthecuff.com/ ► Our Website: https://policeoffthecuff.com ► Support POC on P️atreon:   / policeoffthecuff   ► Subscribe for free: https://www.youtube.com/c/policeoffth... WATCH MORE --------------------------------------------------- ► Sammy "The Bull" Gravano:    • Sammy the Bull Gravano   ► ️ Mafia Cops:    • Mafia Cops   ► Real Crime Stories:    • Real Crime Stories   This video may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is being made available within this transformative or derivative work for the purpose of education, commentary and criticism, and is believed to be "fair use" in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.