Bottom Quote by Michael Isikoff
“Every major criminal case is always built from the bottom up. You get the underlings, you get them to plead and cooperate, and that leads to the higher-ups.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The FBI and the Rise of the New Crime, 2020
Criminal investigations start low, using minor participants to reach higher perpetrators.
In simple terms: Start with small players to catch big ones.
Key Takeaway
Use informants to dismantle hierarchies.
Themes
investigation
hierarchy
cooperation
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
journalistic
explanatory
When to use this quote
- police work
- legal strategy
- whistleblower protection
- media reporting
Key Concepts
criminology
law enforcement
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify informant credibility?
- What ethical concerns arise from using plea bargains?
A Different Perspective
Reliance on low‑level informants can be unreliable.
![“Frank [Zappa] said he probably would have been a major criminal, given his brain power and his attention to detail, had he not been a composer. But being a composer is not something you can't help.” quote by Gail Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc8/gail-zappa-26739_attention_frank-zappa-said-he-probably-would-have_252212.jpg)
