Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero (April 19, 1926 – November 24, 1994[nb 1]) was an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family.

He is well known for his friendship and mentorship of FBI undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone, who Ruggiero knew as Donnie Brasco.

In November 1982, Ruggiero was sentenced to 15 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy; he was released in April 1993 before his death from cancer.

[4] Ruggiero joined the Bonanno family organization as a young man, serving as a street soldier under caporegime Michael Sabella.

He lived in an apartment on Monroe Street in Manhattan in the same building as his friend and Bonanno soldier Anthony Mirra.

Around the time Ruggiero became a made member in the Bonanno family, Anthony Mirra introduced him to Joseph Pistone.

[6] During an earlier criminal enterprise, Ruggiero met Frank Balistrieri, the Mafia boss of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

At this time, Ruggiero joined the crew of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, a strong Rastelli supporter.

According to Pistone, the murderers were Napolitano, John Cersani, Joe Massino, Sal Vitale, Joseph DeSimone, Gerlando Sciascia, Nicholas Santora, Vito Rizzuto, Louis Giongetti, and Santo Giordano.

Ruggiero and Cersani were lookouts and were sent in after to clean up the massacre and dispose of the bodies, along with Napolitano, James Episcopia, and Robert Caposio.

In front of Pistone, he once explained: "As a wiseguy you can lie, you can cheat, you can steal, you can finagle, you can cause a ruckus ... you can do anything and nobody can say a word about it.

To settle the debt this time, the family arranged to transfer the revenues from part of Ruggiero's criminal operations directly to Marangello.

[6] FBI agents visited Napolitano's apartment on top of The Motion Lounge and informed him of Brasco's true identity.

[11] In November 1982, Ruggiero, along with Santora, Antonio Tomasulo, and Anthony "Fat Tony" Rabito, was convicted in a six-week jury trial for racketeering conspiracy and received a 15-year prison sentence.