NEW YORK — Joaquin Garcia infiltrated the Gambino Italian Mafia family in New York from 2002 to 2005. During the operation, Garcia served as the driver for Gambino captain Greg DePalma.

Garcia spent 24 years as an undercover agent for the FBI. His weight fluctuated by hundreds of pounds during his time as an undercover agent, peaking at about 500 pounds. Garcia weighed about 400 pounds before infiltrating the Mafia and nearly 500 pounds by the time he left, and he gained about 90 pounds while working undercover to infiltrate the Italian Mafia.

Garcia said the only downside of his undercover work was gaining weight, and that he did not take up drinking or drugs and that his work did not lead to a divorce.

Garcia described food as central to the work. “Everything's surrounded around eating,” Garcia said. “If you watch 'The Sopranos' with the 'gabagool', you know, and all the food. Every time you see them, they're eating because that's the culture,” he said.

Garcia said eating helped him fit in. “I love to eat, so to me it was perfect. I didn't have to act, and I found that the more I ate, the happier it made everyone because they love to feed you,” he said. Meetings, disputes, and everyday conversations in Mafia culture often took place over food, such as coffee with biscotti or long meals at restaurants, and chefs in Mafia circles gave Garcia food to take home during his undercover work.

Garcia recorded thousands of hours of conversations during his infiltration of the Mafia.

Garcia was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and wore an EKG monitor during his undercover work. DePalma performed a practical joke by ripping Garcia's shirt off to reveal Garcia's EKG monitor in front of other mobsters.

Garcia said his size affected how he navigated the work. “The fatter I got, the better an undercover agent I became,” he said. “My size gave me a good excuse that I had a bad heart and therefore did not have to partake in drugs or killing or anything like that,” he said.

Garcia entered the FBI in the 1980s weighing about 265 pounds and was told to reduce his weight to roughly 240 pounds. He retired from the FBI in 2006 weighing over 500 pounds, and he has lost about 100 pounds since retiring and currently weighs between 390 and 410 pounds, with a goal weight of around 285 pounds.

Garcia said he tried various diets, including Atkins and other low-carb plans, but did not sustain weight loss with them. He said he did not qualify for the weight-loss medication Ozempic because his doctor said his glucose levels were normal. After a hospitalization for fainting, he adopted a three-meals-per-day structure and continues that routine. His typical daily diet consists of oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat for lunch, and chicken with vegetables for dinner, and he uses a walker to steady himself on daily walks.

Garcia described his current efforts to lose weight as ongoing. “I've come to accept that this is a constant battle. You win some fights or some battles, but you haven't won the war yet,” he said. “The only issue is that, unlike other disguises, being overweight doesn't come off overnight,” he said. “My only fault is the fact that I gained weight; I'm grateful for that,” he said.