Lefty Ruggiero, also known as Donnie Brasco, was arrested by the FBI on August 29, 1981, after Joseph D. Pistones undercover operation ended on July 26, 1981. In November 1982, Ruggiero was sentenced to 15 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy. After serving almost 11 years, he was released from prison in April 1993, suffering from lung and testicular cancer. He died on November 24, 1994. There is no evidence that Lefty was killed at the end of the Donnie Brasco movie.