Porter was allegedly made a member of the Pittsburgh family in 1986, he was a former mailman and was promoted to Underboss after the death of "Jo Jo" Joseph Pecora in 1987, serving under then boss Michael James Genovese. Despite only being a member of the Pittsburgh family for a year, Porter was thought to have been given the position because of his youth, he was in his 40's, while other family members were all in their Seventies. In 1990, Porter and other mobsters were indicted on RICO charges including narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling and loansharking. Porter was sentenced to almost thirty years in prison and decided to defect. Porter not only testified against his own family but against the Bonanno crime family and a large scale loanshark book they were operating in New York and