Louis Ferrante (born May 13, 1969) is a former heist expert and Gambino crime family mobster, who spent eight and a half years in prison for heists and hijackings, successfully appealed his conviction and became a bestselling true crime, business, and science writer. He hosts his own show, airing on Discovery International in 195 countries and was nominated for a Grierson Trust Award, which is considered the most prestigious documentary award in the United Kingdom, known as "the Oscars of the documentary world."
On September 15, 2011, Ferrante spoke at The Economist's Ideas Economy: Human Potential Summit in New York City. On October 21, 2014, Ferrante spoke at the CEO Global Leaders Forum in New York City, hosted by billionaire businessman Leonard Lauder.
Early life
Ferrante was born on May 13, 1969, in Queens, New York, where he was raised. As a teenager, he made his reputation as a gang leader. Ferrante and his gang hijacked delivery trucks all over New York and he soon gained the attention of the Gambino crime family. By his early twenties, Ferrante headed a crew of older armed robbers within the family. Newspaper articles from the 1990s referred to Ferrante as "John Gotti's pal". Another article referred to Ferrante as a "crony of John A. Gotti." On one occasion, Ferrante and his crew flew from New York to California to hold up an armored car. His plans were foiled by the FBI, although there was insufficient evidence to charge Ferrante and his crew with a crime. Around this time, he was suspected of masterminding some of the largest heists in U.S. history.
Arrests
Ferrante was targeted by many investigations. He was eventually indicted by the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and the Nassau County Organized Crime Task Force.
The main witness against Ferrante entered the Witness Protection program. Another informant against Ferrante was William Degel, now the host of Restaurant Stakeout on Food Network. By 1994, and facing a life sentence in prison, Ferrante wrote and distributed a rap song defending crime boss John Gotti. Ferrante hired controversial civil rights attorney William Kunstler to defend him. During the trial, Kunstler claimed that Ferrante's song aggravated law enforcement agencies who had convicted Gotti and that the massive resources used to indict Ferrante multiple times were part of a government vendetta. Ferrante's defense was defeated in court by prosecutors and Ferrante was convicted. In Ferrante's second case, he chose to plead guilty to a thirteen-year sentence, with his third case running concurrent with the first two cases. Ferrante refused to cooperate with the government and did not inform on former associates of the Gambino family. He was sent to the maximum security prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to begin his sentence.
Prison
Ferrante has stated he read his first book and became interested in writing during his incarnation at the Lewisburg Penitentiary. He subsequently immersed himself in the study of history, philosophy, and literature. He also penned a historical novel, Aleesa, set in the antebellum South. Lewisburg Penitentiary was the site of numerous violent race wars, resulting in many violent deaths. In his memoir Unlocked, Ferrante cites his need to shield his mind from the racism around him as the main motivation to write books.
While in prison, Ferrante hired and fired a number of attorneys before successfully appealing his own conviction, a case that is cited in courtrooms across the country. He was released in January 2003, after serving eight and a half years. In addition to law, Ferrante, a former Catholic, studied many religions and chose to convert to Judaism. becoming an observant Jew.
Books and other writings
In the United States, the paperback edition of Ferrante's memoir is titled Unlocked: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider. In the United Kingdom, the memoir is titled Tough Guy: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider. The book has also been translated to Dutch.
Ferrante's second book is titled Mob Rules and is a non-fiction business book. The book was shortlisted for the 800-CEO-Read Awards and is an international bestseller. It has been translated to more than 20 languages.