Buddy Boys

A shocking true story of corruption and crime in the ranks of the NYPD in the worst police scandal since the revelations of Fred Serpico In the 1970s, New York City’s 77th Precinct was known as “the Alamo.” In Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, Brooklyn—neighborhoods notorious for drugs and violent crime—some of the worst criminals wore police uniforms and carried badges. Henry Winter was a good cop when he first entered the infamous 77th station house that was already infamous as a home to the dregs of the NYPD. Before long, he and fellow officer Anthony Magno found themselves deeply entrenched in the Alamo’s culture of extortion, lies, corruption, and crime—and they were regularly supplementing their incomes by ripping off thieves, drug dealers, junkies, and honest citizens alike. But the gravy train couldn’t stay on the rails forever. Winter and Magno were caught and faced a devastating choice: They could betray their crooked friends and colleagues by helping investigators expose the rot that festered at the Alamo’s core—or spend the next several years behind bars.   In Buddy Boys, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Mike McAlary blows the doors off 1 of the worst scandals ever to taint New York’s uniformed guardians, the men and women sworn to protect and serve the populace. Blistering, shocking, and powerful, it’s a frightening look inside the NYPD and an eye-opening exploration of the daily temptations that can seduce a good cop over to the dark side.

“So pure, so engrossing . . . The voices in this book are pure cop. Buddy Boys is searing, outrageous and painful.” —The New York Times   “This scary book shows how easily good men can be corrupted. Well-crafted, fast paced, and thorough, it provides new understanding of an old problem.” —Library Journal  

Mike McAlary (1957–1998) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author. Originally a sportswriter, he worked as a reporter for Newsday and as a columnist at the Daily News and the New York Post. McAlary won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his extensive coverage of the torture of Abner Louima by Brooklyn police officers. He wrote one novel, Sore Loser, and three nonfiction books: Buddy Boys, Cop Shot, and Good Cop, Bad Cop. A play based on McAlary’s life, Lucky Guy written by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks, debuted on Broadway in 2013.