Benjamin Ruggiero

Benjamin Ruggiero

Benjamin Ruggiero, also known as "Lefty", "Lefty Guns", and "Lefty Two Guns" (April 19, 1926 – November 24, 1994), was a soldier in the Bonanno crime family. He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone. Ruggiero was an old school Cosa Nostra mobster who knew how Mafia politics worked. Ruggiero allegedly murdered around 26 people and refused to break omertà when arrested. On November 24, 1994, Benjamin Ruggiero died of lung cancer at the age of 68.