Media & Reviews
Industry Reviews
Vanity Fair
“A charismatic prosecutor.”
New York Magazine
“Battled the mob and came out the winner.”
The Village Voice
“An excellent prosecutor.”
New York Post
“Chief Mafia Buster for the most successful organized crime program in the country!”
Newsday
“Credited by the Justice Department as assembling the most successful of the 14 Organized Crime Strike Forces in the country…”
Dennis Lehane, Author
“I love Ed’s ‘Don’t give me the babe in the woods routine, Karen’ in Goodfellas. It’s sublime.”
Organized Crime authority Jerry Capeci, Gang Land News
"The Organized Crime Strike Force in Brooklyn’s prosecutors dominated the city’s war against the mafia and official corruption in the 1980s."
Manhattan Lawyer
“The ‘proud and mighty’ Brooklyn Strike Force…the elite Justice Department Unit selected to prosecute major mafia and public corruption cases!”
Film Comment, Film Society of Lincoln Center
“Ed’s appearance in Goodfellas was the third most memorable instance of an actor playing themselves in a movie, after The Beatles and Fred Thompson.”
Press Scrapbook
TV Appearances
Nightline with Barbara Walters, 1992
Edward McDonald joins Barbara Walters on Nightline following the 1992 conviction of Gambino crime boss John Gotti, offering his perspective on the landmark Mafia prosecution.
The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel
Edward McDonald joins Bryant Gumbel on The Today Show, drawing on his experience as a federal prosecutor and authority on organized crime.
MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, 1989
Edward McDonald appears on The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour in 1989 to discuss organized crime and the challenges facing law enforcement in combating sophisticated criminal organizations.
The Today Show, June 11, 1987
While serving as Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force, Edward McDonald appears on The Today Show on June 11, 1987, discussing the federal fight against organized crime.
CBS Evening News, 1990
Edward McDonald appears on CBS Evening News in 1990 as the federal Organized Crime Strike Force system faced its breakup after decades of Mafia investigations and prosecutions.
NBC Nightly News, 1992
Edward McDonald provides commentary for NBC Nightly News during the 1992 John Gotti trial, offering the perspective of a veteran federal organized crime prosecutor.
Rivera Live with Geraldo, 2001
Edward McDonald joins Geraldo Rivera on Rivera Live in 2001 for a discussion of The Sopranos and the relationship between popular portrayals of the Mafia and real organized crime.
Live at Five, 1987
Edward McDonald discusses the strength and influence of organized crime in New York City in this 1987 appearance on Live at Five, during the height of the federal campaign against the Mafia.
Newsline New York with Jack Cafferty, 1990
Edward McDonald joins Jack Cafferty in 1990 to discuss the prosecution of John Gotti and the continuing federal effort to dismantle New York’s organized crime families.
CBS 2 New York, April 1992
Edward McDonald discusses the public’s enduring fascination with the New York Mafia in April 1992, as organized crime and its leading figures continued to command national attention.
Organized Crime & the Construction Industry
Edward McDonald discusses organized crime’s infiltration of the construction industry and the methods Mafia organizations used to exert influence over legitimate businesses and labor.