Upamanyu Biswas
‘The Infiltrator’ dives into the exploits of Robert Mazur, a US Customs Agent who disguises himself as a fake businessman, Bob Musella, to infiltrate the seedy underbelly of the Medellín drug cartel and a private international bank. The mission proves to be a challenging ordeal, which slowly uncovers the conspiracy at play and brings it to light. The deeper Mazur moves into the social circles of the crime syndicate, the more he engulfs himself in the day-to-day affairs of the international drug ring. However, the protagonist is aided in his efforts by a mob enforcer, Dominic, who plays a pivotal role in helping him through the process, even when it comes to valuable advice on the dos and don’ts of the underworld.
Dominic is Based on a Government Informant and Adviser During Operation C-Chase
As ‘The Infiltrator’ is based on the true events surrounding Operation C-Chase, a mission to infiltrate and bust members of the Medellín drug cartel, several characters depicted in the movie are inspired by their real-life counterparts. The character of Dominic is no exception to this statement, as he was a real-life mob enforcer who worked in conjunction with Robert Mazur. Just like the movie’s version of the story, Mazur came across Dominic, whose real name was Alexander Biscuiti, at a judge’s courtroom where he was being tried for numerous crimes. Mazur utilized tape recordings of various telephone conversations made by Biscuiti that captured his real gruff nature behind the family-oriented exterior. Subsequently, the federal undercover agent used it as leverage to win Biscuiti’s loyalty.
The enforcer worked as a debt collector, who would often go around hustling targets of the mob to shake them down until they paid out their dues. However, after Mazur worked his magic on Biscuiti, he flipped to the side of the government and acted as their star witness in putting away a number of people in the Meros case and also a captain of a New York crime family. Later, Mazur established a working relationship with Biscuiti, where he leveraged the mob connections of the former enforcer to his benefit in crafting his own fake identity as Bob Musella. On top of his professional experience, Mazur also expected Biscuiti to take on an undercover role himself as the cousin of Bob Musella and part of his whole operation.
Biscuiti’s part in Operation C-Chase during the 1980s is covered extensively in the eponymous memoir penned by Mazur, which also forms the basis of the movie. The pair made a great team and, despite being from entirely different backgrounds, worked quite well in the situation they were put in. However, Biscuiti was also wise enough to know how Mazur could complete his look as a cutthroat businessman in the criminal world. To that end, he suggested that the federal agent pay a lot of attention to his outfit. “On your clothes, especially your shoes, you need to spend some bucks,” he said, as reported by Mazur. “Movers and shakers in the business have money coming out their ass, and spending $1,000 on a suit is an everyday thing for them.”
Dominic AKA Alexander Biscuiti Passed Away in 2014
Although Alexander Biscuiti and Robert Mazur had a relationship during C-Chase that could mainly be categorized as a professional bond, the two also garnered mutual respect for one another over the years. Even after the conclusion of the undercover operation in 1988, they remained in touch and were also interested in each other’s affairs. He also never reverted back to his mob career, instead opting to live out his life as a government witness. Tragically, he passed away in July 2014 after a battle with cancer, a couple of years before the movie adaptation of his life was released.
Read More: Robert Mazur AKA Bob Musella: Where is the Former Undercover Agent Now?
