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 & Podcast Appearances
The Sit Down with Jeff Nadu, September 2, 2026
Edward McDonald joins Jeff Nadu for an in-depth discussion of his career prosecuting organized crime, including the Lufthansa robbery, Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke, the Boston College point-shaving scandal, Goodfellas, and Chasing Goodfellas.
Podcast: Author Talk with Ed McDonald, August 31, 2026
Edward McDonald discusses Chasing Goodfellas, the real cases and people behind the book, his relationship with Henry Hill, and what Hollywood got right and wrong about the world portrayed in Goodfellas. Hosted by Aimee Ravichandran
VladTV: The Real Goodfellas Story, August 30, 2026
Edward McDonald sits down with VladTV for a wide-ranging interview about the Lufthansa robbery, Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke, Mafia prosecutions, witness cooperation, his role in Goodfellas, and the cases behind Chasing Goodfellas.
Rivera Live with Geraldo Rivera, 2001
Edward McDonald joins Geraldo Rivera on Rivera Live to discuss The Sopranos and the relationship between popular portrayals of the Mafia and the realities of organized crime.
Charlie Rose: Gotti Trial Verdict, June 24, 1992
Edward McDonald joins John Gotti defense attorney Albert Krieger, author Gay Talese, and reporter John Miller to discuss Gotti’s life sentence and whether his conviction could survive an appeal.
Nightline with Barbara Walters: John Gotti Conviction, 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.
WCBS-TV Channel 2: Public Fascination with the Mafia, April 1992
Edward McDonald discusses the public’s enduring fascination with the New York Mafia as John Gotti and the city’s organized crime families commanded extraordinary public attention.
ABC News: Organized Crime & the Construction Industry, 1992
Edward McDonald discusses organized crime’sEdward McDonald discusses organized crime’s infiltration of New York’s construction industry and the Mafia’s use of labor unions and legitimate businesses to exert influence over the industry. infiltration of the construction industry and the methods Mafia organizations used to exert influence over legitimate businesses and labor.
NBC Nightly News: John Gotti Trial, 1992
Edward McDonald provides commentary during the John Gotti trial, bringing the perspective of a veteran federal organized crime prosecutor to one of the most closely watched Mafia prosecutions in American history.
Charlie Rose: Gotti Trial, March 2, 1992
Edward McDonald joins attorneys Gerald Lefcourt and David Lewis and reporter John Miller to examine the case against John Gotti as Sammy “The Bull” Gravano prepared to testify for the government.
Charlie Rose: Mob War in Brooklyn, December 13, 1991
Edward McDonald joins Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and reporter John Miller to discuss increasing Mafia violence in Brooklyn and the state of organized crime in New York.
Charlie Rose: Gotti Trial, November 13, 1991
Edward McDonald joins journalists John Miller and Jerry Capeci and attorney James LaRosa to discuss Sammy “The Bull” Gravano’s decision to cooperate with prosecutors and what it meant for the case against John Gotti.
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.
CBS Evening News: Organized Crime Strike Force Breakup, 1990
Edward McDonald appears on CBS Evening News as the federal Organized Crime Strike Force system faced its breakup after decades of Mafia investigations and prosecutions.
Newsline New York with Jack Cafferty: John Gotti Prosecution, 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.
The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour: Organized Crime, 1989
Edward McDonald appears on The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour 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 joins Jane Pauley on Today to discuss the federal campaign against organized crime and New York’s Mafia families.
Live at Five: Organized Crime in New York, 1987
Edward McDonald discusses the strength and influence of organized crime in New York City during the height of the federal campaign against the Mafia.