CT083 Life Undercover with Don Sonney

CHOP TALK: Karate | Martial Arts | Okinawa | Japan

This week, Don Sonney returns to to discuss his career in law enforcement and how it was influenced by his martial arts training. Don Sonney's martial arts training led him to join the Ohio Highway Patrol, which he discusses today. during his time as a trooper he was selected for their newly founded Ranger program (which was the predecessor of the SWAT Team) He also become an Instructor at the Highway Patrol's Academy. Mr. Sonney's undercover career started during his time with the Highway Patrol, and amazingly his first undercover assignment was exactly 50 years ago at the Kent State Riots, also known by some as the Kent State Massacre, which he discusses in today's show. His career continued as an Agent for the Ohio Attorney General, where he worked undercover on numerous Investigations, focusing on Organized Crime of Various Mafia Figures and their Assistants. He also assisted the FBI on a number of cases.

Some of his investigations included people, that were depicted in the 2011 film Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken, and the book To Kill the Irishman by Rick Porrello

Mr. Sonney started his karate training in 1964, in Gary, Pennsylvania under one of the best competitors of the era, Artis Simmons. then went on to train with another of the era's top competitors, James McLain. Don Sonney competed against, worked out with some of the top karate men the time, including Dr. Mel Wise, Phil Koeppel, Robert Trias, and was a close friend of the head of Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu, Takayoshi Nagamine.

If you would like to know more about Don Sonny, you can contact him directly, on facebook , or you can reach out reach out through the Chop Talk Facebook page, or send an e-mail to [e-mail] and I will get you connected.