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Michael Levine (born December 20, 1939) is a former senior United States law enforcement agent, who was called "America's top undercover cop for 25 years" by the television show 60 Minutes.^{[citation needed]} A 25-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), he is best known for his criticism of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the influence it has played on DEA operations. Levine has claimed the CIA was instrumental in the creation of the Bolivian drug cartel La Corporación, which he called the "General Motors of cocaine".^[1]

Career

Levine has testified as an expert witness in 500 civil and criminal trials in the US and abroad^{[citation needed]}, and has lectured on Undercover Operations and Human Intelligence for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's advanced undercover seminar, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.^{[citation needed]}

Levine's career as an undercover agent first became public with the publication of his DEA-authorized biography in March 1988, Undercover.

In March 1988, Levine wrote a letter to the New York Daily News about how he wanted to arrest Howard Stern after Stern had been joking on the radio about drugs being used backstage before his pay-per-view show Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party. Special Agent in Charge for the New York City office of the DEA Robert Stutman denied any investigation into Stern and said "Levine's letter was written without the agency's knowledge."^[2]^[3] However, in Levine's follow-up book Deep Cover, Levine claimed that the letter to Daily News as well as the Stern investigation had not only been authorized by DEA and the Department of Justice, but that Stern's media clout had caused the DEA to back down from the investigation.^[4]

Also in Deep Cover, Levine claimed that Edwin Meese, the then United States Attorney General, had unmasked a DEA undercover team, posing as a Mafia family, that had penetrated the office of the President of Mexico and was "buying" Mexican military protection for the transportation of 15 tons of cocaine through Mexico into the United States.^[5]

In May 2011, Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, held up Levine's book La Guerra Falsa for the press to photograph, citing it as justification for his expelling the DEA from Bolivia on what he said was the basis of DEA using the war on drugs to manipulate the Bolivian government. La Guerra Falsa, was the Spanish translation of Levine's The Big White Lie.^[6] Levine replied in several articles that, "if President Morales had read the book he would have welcomed DEA as heroes and booted CIA from his country for betraying both the Bolivian and American people".^{[citation needed]}

Since 1995 he has co-hosted The Expert Witness Radio Show with musician Mark Marshall on the Pacifica Radio Network station WBAI-FM in New York.^[7]

On August 11 2008, Levine was featured on The Colbert Report in a segment entitled "Nailed 'Em," which pokes fun at the American justice system for law enforcement activity that some would consider trivial or frivolous. The episode focused on a medical marijuana patient who was denied a job for failing a drug test.^[8]

Levine has also been featured as an expert commentator on Dateline NBC, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, Inside Edition, 60 Minutes, Crier Report, The Geraldo Rivera Show, Crossfire, Good Morning America, NBC and CBS morning shows, Cold Blood, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Charlie Rose, Bill Moyers' Project Censored, and Contrapunto (Crossfire's Spanish language version).^{[citation needed]}

Bibliography

The Big White Lie: The Deep Cover Operation That Exposed the CIA Sabotage of the Drug War. ISBN 1-56025-084-4; ISBN 978-1-56025-084-5
Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War. ISBN 0-595-09264-0; ISBN 978-0-595-09264-2
Fight Back; How to Take Back Your Neighborhood, Schools And Families From the Drug Dealer. ISBN 978-0-595-41834-3; ISBN 0-595-41834-1

Fiction-based works

Triangle of Death. ISBN 0-440-22367-9
Technical consultant to the NBC miniseries Kingpin^{[citation needed]}
Actor and technical consultant to the Showtime series (cable TV series) Street Time^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Michael Levine. "Mainstream Media: The Drug War Shills". Archived from the original on January 4, 2012.
^ New York Daily News March 10th, 1988
^ "Stern: Drug crack just joke; DEA agents aren't laughing". Reading Eagle. March 11, 1988. p. 28.
^ Levine, Michael (1990). Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War, Delacorte Press, New York. ISBN 0-595-09264-0; ISBN 978-0-595-09264-2
^ "CONTINUED MEDIA BLACKOUT OF DRUG WAR FRAUD". Archived from the original on April 22, 2008.
^ Bill Conroy (6 March 2011). "Bolivian President Uses Former DEA Agent's Book to Send Message to the World". Narco News. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
^ "About The Expert Witness Radio Show". expertwitnessradio.org. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
^ "Nailed 'Em". The Colbert Report. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.

External links

Michael Levine's professional site

[1] Michael Levine. "Mainstream Media: The Drug War Shills". Archived from the original on January 4, 2012.

[2] New York Daily News March 10th, 1988

[3] "Stern: Drug crack just joke; DEA agents aren't laughing". Reading Eagle. March 11, 1988. p. 28.

[4] Levine, Michael (1990). Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War, Delacorte Press, New York. ISBN 0-595-09264-0; ISBN 978-0-595-09264-2

[5] "CONTINUED MEDIA BLACKOUT OF DRUG WAR FRAUD". Archived from the original on April 22, 2008.

[6] Bill Conroy (6 March 2011). "Bolivian President Uses Former DEA Agent's Book to Send Message to the World". Narco News. Retrieved 20 July 2012.

[7] "About The Expert Witness Radio Show". expertwitnessradio.org. Retrieved 20 July 2012.

[8] "Nailed 'Em". The Colbert Report. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2012.

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 {{BLP sources|date=July 2012}}
-'''Michael Levine''' (born December 20, 1939) is a former senior United States law enforcement agent and has been called "America's top undercover cop for 25 years" by [[60 Minutes]]. A 25 year veteran of the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) he has gained much attention for his criticisms of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and the influence it has played on DEA operations. He has even gone as far as claiming the CIA was instrumental in the creation ''La Corporacion'', the "[[General Motors]] of [[cocaine]]".
+'''Michael Levine''' (born December 20, 1939) is a former senior United States law enforcement agent, who was called "America's top undercover cop for 25 years" by the television show ''[[60 Minutes]]''.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} A 25-year veteran of the U.S. [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA), he is best known for his criticism of the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) and the influence it has played on DEA operations. Levine has claimed the CIA was instrumental in the creation of the Bolivian [[drug cartel]] [[La Corporación]], which he called the "[[General Motors]] of [[cocaine]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expertwitnessradio.org/essays/e6.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104072838/http://www.expertwitnessradio.org/essays/e6.htm|archivedate=January 4, 2012|title=Mainstream Media: The Drug War Shills|author=Michael Levine}}</ref>
-== Trial ==
+== Career==
-Levine has testified as an [[expert witness]] in 500 civil and criminal trials internationally and domestically and has lectured on Undercover Operations and Human Intelligence for a wide range of professional audiences ranging from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the FBI advanced undercover seminar to the New York State Department of Justice Services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
+Levine has testified as an [[expert witness]] in 500 civil and criminal trials in the US and abroad{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}, and has lectured on Undercover Operations and Human Intelligence for the U.S. [[Defense Intelligence Agency]], the U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]'s advanced undercover seminar, the [[New York State]] Division of Criminal Justice Services and the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]].{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
-Levine's career as an undercover agent first became public with the publication of his DEA authorized biography in March, 1988 "Undercover".
+Levine's career as an [[undercover agent]] first became public with the publication of his DEA-authorized biography in March 1988, ''Undercover''.
-In March 1988 Levine caused a controversy when he wrote a letter to the [[New York Daily News]] about how he wanted to arrest [[Howard Stern]] after Stern had been joking on the radio about drugs being used backstage before his PPV show [[Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party]]. Special Agent in Charge for the New York City office of the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] Robert Stutman denied any investigation into Stern and said "Levine's letter was written without the agency's knowledge."<ref>[[New York Daily News]] March 10th, 1988</ref><ref>[[Reading Eagle]] March 11, 1988 Page 28 "Stern: Drug crack just joke; DEA agents aren't laughing" http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yPkhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GqMFAAAAIBAJ&dq=%20levine%20howard%20stern&pg=5812%2C1696480</ref> However, in Levine's follow-up book, the [[New York Times]] best seller "Deep Cover",<ref>Levine, Michael (1990). ''Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War'', Delacorte Press, New York. ISBN 0-595-09264-0; ISBN 978-0-595-09264-2.</ref> Levine claimed that the letter to "Daily News" as well as the Stern investigation had not only been authorized by DEA and the Department of Justice, but that Stern's media clout had in fact caused DEA to back down from the investigation.
+In March 1988, Levine wrote a letter to the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' about how he wanted to arrest [[Howard Stern]] after Stern had been joking on the radio about drugs being used backstage before his [[pay-per-view]] show ''[[Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party]]''. Special Agent in Charge for the New York City office of the DEA Robert Stutman denied any investigation into Stern and said "Levine's letter was written without the agency's knowledge."<ref>[[New York Daily News]] March 10th, 1988</ref><ref>{{cite news|website=[[Reading Eagle]]|date=March 11, 1988|page=28|title=Stern: Drug crack just joke; DEA agents aren't laughing|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yPkhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GqMFAAAAIBAJ&dq=%20levine%20howard%20stern&pg=5812%2C1696480}}</ref> However, in Levine's follow-up book ''Deep Cover'', Levine claimed that the letter to ''Daily News'' as well as the Stern investigation had not only been authorized by DEA and the Department of Justice, but that Stern's media clout had caused the DEA to back down from the investigation.<ref>Levine, Michael (1990). ''Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War'', Delacorte Press, New York. {{ISBN|0-595-09264-0}}; {{ISBN|978-0-595-09264-2}}</ref>
-Also in "Deep Cover",<ref>http://www.projectcensored.org/enwiki/static/1990/1990-story5.htm {{dead link|date=July 2012}}</ref>  Levine claimed that [[Edwin Meese]], the then Attorney General of the United States, had blown the cover of a DEA undercover team, posing as a Mafia family, that had penetrated the office of the President of Mexico and was "buying" Mexican military protection for the transportation of 15 tons of cocaine through Mexico into the United States.
+Also in ''Deep Cover'', Levine claimed that [[Edwin Meese]], the then [[United States Attorney General]], had unmasked a DEA undercover team, posing as a [[Mafia]] family, that had penetrated the office of the [[President of Mexico]] and was "buying" Mexican military protection for the transportation of 15 tons of cocaine through Mexico into the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.projectcensored.org/enwiki/static/1990/1990-story5.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422004618/http://www.projectcensored.org/enwiki/static/1990/1990-story5.htm|title=CONTINUED MEDIA BLACKOUT OF DRUG WAR FRAUD|archivedate=April 22, 2008 }}</ref>
+In May 2011, [[Evo Morales]], the [[President of Bolivia]], held up Levine's book ''La Guerra Falsa'' for the press to photograph, citing it as justification for his expelling the DEA from Bolivia on what he said was the basis of DEA using the [[war on drugs]] to manipulate the [[Bolivian government]]. ''La Guerra Falsa'', was the Spanish translation of Levine's ''The Big White Lie''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Conroy|url=https://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2011/03/bolivian-president-uses-former-dea-agent-s-book-send-message-world.html|title=Bolivian President Uses Former DEA Agent's Book to Send Message to the World|date=6 March 2011|publisher=[[Narco News]]|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref> Levine replied in several articles that, "if President Morales had read the book he would have welcomed DEA as heroes and booted CIA from his country for betraying both the Bolivian and American people".{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
-In 2010, Michael Levine,  a police instructor, expert witness and trial consultant, became the first US law enforcement procedures expert whose testimony concerning what is known as "The Blind Mule Defense" was accepted in a Japanese Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8777679.htm|title=U.S Expert Testimony Wins Historic Drug-Smuggling Acquittal in Japanese Court|date=9 September 2011|publisher=[[Vocus|PR Web]]|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref>
+Since 1995 he has co-hosted ''The Expert Witness Radio Show'' with musician Mark Marshall on the [[Pacifica Radio Network]] station [[WBAI-FM]] in New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expertwitnessradio.org/site/about/|title=About The Expert Witness Radio Show|publisher=expertwitnessradio.org|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref>
-In May, 2011, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia held a book up for the world press to photograph, citing it as providing justification for his expelling DEA from his country on the basis of DEA using the drug war to manipulate the Bolivian Government.  The book, ''La Guerra Falsa'' was the Spanish translation of "The Big White Lie" by retired DEA Agent Michael Levine, who also authored New York Times Bestseller "Deep Cover."  Levine fired back in numerous articles that, "if President Morales had read the book he would have welcomed DEA as heros and booted CIA from his country for betraying both the Bolivian and American people".<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Conroy|url=http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2011/03/bolivian-president-uses-former-dea-agent-s-book-send-message-world|title=Bolivian President Uses Former DEA Agent’s Book to Send Message to the World|date=6 March 2011|publisher=[[Narco News]]|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref>
+On August 11 2008, Levine was featured on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' in a segment entitled "Nailed 'Em," which pokes fun at the American justice system for law enforcement activity that some would consider trivial or frivolous. The episode focused on a [[medical marijuana]] patient who was denied a job for failing a [[drug test]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/179077/august-11-2008/nailed--em---medical-marijuana|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212003426/http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/179077/august-11-2008/nailed--em---medical-marijuana|archivedate=December 12, 2013|website=[[The Colbert Report]]|title=Nailed 'Em|date=August 11, 2008|access-date=October 19, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
-== Media ==
-Since 1995, he has co-hosted "The Expert Witness Radio Show", with [[multi-instrumentalist]], [[singer-songwriter]] and [[recording artist]] Mark Marshall, on the flagship station of the [[Pacifica Radio Network]], [[WBAI-FM]] in New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expertwitnessradio.org/site/about/|title=About The Expert Witness Radio Show|publisher=expertwitnessradio.org|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref>
+Levine has also been featured as an expert commentator on ''[[Dateline NBC]]'', ''[[The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour]]'', ''[[Inside Edition]]'', ''60 Minutes'', ''Crier Report'', ''[[The Geraldo Rivera Show]]'', ''[[Crossfire (American TV program)|Crossfire]]'', ''[[Good Morning America]]'', NBC and CBS morning shows, ''[[Cold Blood (TV series)|Cold Blood]]'', ''[[The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch]]'', ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'', [[Bill Moyers]]' ''Project Censored'', and ''Contrapunto'' (''Crossfire''{{'}}s Spanish language version).{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
-On August 11, 2008, Levine was featured on [[The Colbert Report]] in a segment entitled "Nailed 'Em," which pokes fun at the American justice system for law enforcement activity that some would consider trivial or frivolous.  This episode focused on a [[medical marijuana]] patient who was denied a job for failing a [[drug test]].<ref>http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/179077/august-11-2008/nailed--em---medical-marijuana</ref>
-Levine has also been featured as an expert commentator on more than 100 nationally and internationally broadcast TV news and current events shows, including but not limited to NBC Dateline, the Macneil Lehrer News hour, Inside Edition, 60 Minutes, Crier Report, Geraldo Rivera Show, Crossfire, Good Morning America, NBC and CBS Morning shows, Cold Blood, The Donnie Deutch Show, Charlie Rose, Bill Moyers' "Project Censored," and "Contrapunto"  (Cross Fire's Spanish language version).
 ==Bibliography==
-*''The Big White Lie: The Deep Cover Operation That Exposed the CIA Sabotage of the Drug War''. ISBN 1-56025-084-4; ISBN 978-1-56025-084-5
+*''The Big White Lie: The Deep Cover Operation That Exposed the CIA Sabotage of the Drug War''. {{ISBN|1-56025-084-4}}; {{ISBN|978-1-56025-084-5}}
-*''Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War''.  ISBN 0-595-09264-0; ISBN 978-0-595-09264-2
+*''Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War''.  {{ISBN|0-595-09264-0}}; {{ISBN|978-0-595-09264-2}}
-*''Fight Back; How to Take Back Your Neighborhood, Schools And Families From the Drug Dealer''. ISBN 978-0-595-41834-3; ISBN 0-595-41834-1
+*''Fight Back; How to Take Back Your Neighborhood, Schools And Families From the Drug Dealer''. {{ISBN|978-0-595-41834-3}}; {{ISBN|0-595-41834-1}}
-===Fiction Based Works===
+===Fiction-based works===
-*''Triangle of Death''. ISBN 0-440-22367-9
+* ''Triangle of Death''. {{ISBN|0-440-22367-9}}
-*Technical consultant to the [[NBC]] [[miniseries]] [[Kingpin (TV series)|Kingpin]].
+* Technical consultant to the [[NBC]] [[miniseries]] [[Kingpin (TV series)|''Kingpin'']]{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
-*Actor and Technical Consutant to the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] [[Television program|series]] (Cable TV Series) [[Street Time]]
+* Actor and technical consultant to the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] [[Television program|series]] (cable TV series) ''[[Street Time]]''{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
 == References ==
+{{Reflist}}
-<references/>
 == External links ==
-*[http://www.lawsonline.com/Levine/index.html Michael Levine] at Lawsonline
 *[http://www.policetrialexpert.com/ Michael Levine's professional site]
-*[http://www.expertwitnessradio.org Michael Levine's radio show]
-*[http://www.michaellevinebooks.com Michael Levine's Author site]
-{{Authority control|VIAF=100305366}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Levine, Michael
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = December 20, 1939
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    =
-| DATE OF DEATH     =
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Michael}}
 [[Category:Drug Enforcement Administration agents]]
 [[Category:American political writers]]
+[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
 [[Category:1939 births]]

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