Published May 30, 2019

By MICHAEL GEOFFRION SCANNELL

NORTH READING — As Flint Memorial Library Director Sharon Kelleher introduced the author of “Ghost: My 30 Years as an FBI Undercover Agent” Mike McGowan, she mentioned that he had worked over 50 undercover cases for the FBI and she said that anyone in the audience would know that she doesn’t normally, “push the book but you’ve got to buy this book, you’ve got to read this book, it’s so fantastic and so amazing.”

Kelleher said she was in awe of this man and scared of him at the same time.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, many of his anecdotes and stories were funny.

McGowan began his talk last Thursday night by saying, “Undercover work is very difficult. It’s very demanding. It takes a toll physically and mentally on you.”

He added, “I wrote this book for four people – my wife and my three children – that was my intended audience. I wrote to my wife to thank her for taking care of our family while I was out doing this stuff.”

MICHAEL MCGOWAN autographs copies of his book for Library Director Sharon Kelleher after his presentation about being an FBI undercover agent. (Michael Geoffrion Scannell Photo)

McGowan had been a local beat cop when he was given the opportunity to become an FBI agent after working with the bureau on a series of local bank robberies.

When he first started working for the FBI there was no training for undercover agents and there was no psychological testing. That has since changed and today he is involved in training new agents for undercover work.

Five years after joining the FBI, McGowan revealed: “Myself and three other agents seized 50 kg of heroin from Pakistan.” He said it was worth about $180 million. “We did not pay a dime for it; we had it fronted to us, given to us because they thought we would sell it and return the payment. They’re still waiting to get paid.”

According to the former agent, “The point is, within five years with the FBI I had made a career case.” He explained, “You were the ‘golden boy,’ one who could do no wrong.” He said he had a beautiful family and had just hit a home run as a case agent.

According to McGowan, 18 months later the FBI accused him of stealing the $180 million worth of drugs from inside an evidence locker. All the evidence in his case had been stolen. McGowan went on to say that if you’ve ever been falsely accused of stealing something it’s the worst feeling in the world. He was ultimately exonerated and returned to active duty after nearly two years.

“It’s because of that event that I decided to devote myself to undercover work,” he said.

Because of this horrible experience at the Philadelphia office of the FBI, McGowan said he decided that “I’d just keep making cases and cases after that. The greatest compliment you can pay to an FBI agent is that he or she makes cases. That means you take an investigation cradle-to-grave and you put people in jail. So that’s what I decided after they accused me of being a heroin thief and stealing $180 million worth of heroin. I said to the FBI, ‘I’ll show you. This is what I’m going to do.”

His first undercover case was against Russian organized crime. He then became involved in undercover operations against the Mafia. McGowan said that over 10 years he infiltrated three different Mafia families. “That is not bragging, it’s a fact and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without other agents and informants.”

His investigations included the four people killed at the Charlestown 99 and the investigation into the Patriarca family in Rhode Island where he spent five straight years undercover.

“Ghost: My 30 Years as an FBI Undercover Agent” is so riveting that Sylvester Stallone’s production company has optioned the film rights. It is quite possible that in several years McGowan’s recollections will be immortalized on the silver screen.