I did see that. I'll have to read the book. From the 60 minutes show it seems as if the agent basically did the same thing Pistone did. He posed as a jewel thief and gave his sponsors lots of cash and stolen goods which allowed him to pose as an earner. This impressed his boss and got him proposed for membership.
I thought that after the Pistone incident the rules were changed so that one person alone could not vouch for a member and that there had to be better evidence of a prospective member's criminal history.
I picked up the book yesterday and skimmed it a bit last night. It looks promising. Much of it takes place in my neck of the woods (The Bronx, Westchester County), so it's that much more interesting for me.
The big difference between this guy and Pistone, is that Falcone got close to the elderly Bronx capo MUCH quicker. He was "under," made contact, and got proposed for his button in like two years!! Granted, he was a veteran undercover agent, but he was only "Jack Falcone" for a short time prior to moving up the hierarchy.
One thing about these cop bios, is that their egos are as big, if not bigger, than the criminals they go after. From Pistone (the original egomaniac), to Rick Cowan (TAKEDOWN), to this latest guy (JACK FALCONE), they really lead themselves to believe that they did it all by themselves.
