"American Gangster" revolves around the fabricated character of Richie Roberts playing the savvy cop that brings Lucas (Denzel Washington) down, but in truth, Richie Roberts never played in the real-life drama investigation that collapsed the drug kingpin's empire. It was the hard work of three former New Jersey detectives. What truths may be introduced after that get lost in the fact that its utter foundation has been irreparably broken.

The three-- Benny Abruzzo, Eddie Jones and Al Spearman, worked the case for nearly two years out of the Newark Narcotics Bureau before jurisdiction concerns compelled them to ask to be temporarily assigned to the B.O.N. to finish the job. Roberts neither assisted nor assigned his detectives to assist the three in the "Country Boys" investigation during those 3 weeks leading up to the raid and had little knowledge of who Frank Lucas was until the three detectives requested assistance from the B.O.N. with search warrants and in apprehending 30+ of Lucas' family and associates on that raid in May.

On June 5, 1975 , shortly after the arrests, Roberts wrote to then Newark Director Williams, highly commending the three, and sheepishly admitting to his non-involvement in the case, "I feel it incumbent upon me to make a record of same, that most of the credit for the arrests and seizures of persons and evidence of said narcotic investigation goes to three narcotic detectives, Alvin Spearman, Edward Jones and Baldesario Abruzzo...Because of the nature of their knowledge of the operation of the "Country Boys", other detectives could not assist them in said investigation,...I simply hope that the work of these men does not go unnoticed..."

"Frank Lucas, who officials charge is the boss of a vast heroine empire that stretches from the jungles of Thailand to the streets of Harlem, has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury along with 33 other persons, including his parents and four brothers, it was disclosed yesterday...The indictments stemmed from a three-month undercover investigation by Newark Detectives, Alvin Spearman, Badesario Abruzzo and Edward Jones, Roberts said." - Brian Smith, NY Daily News-- July 3, 1975.

"3 ex-New Jersey Cops Topple Drug Empire" -by Joy McIntyre, NY Daily News, Nov. 7, 1976

Based on a true story-Naples Daily News
By Jonathan Foerster
Friday, November 2, 2007


Cops feel left out of ‘Gangster' glory-NY Daily News
By Adams Nichols
Thursday, November 1st 2007, 9:28 AM