Former DEA Agent Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Protecting Childhood Friends Involved in Drug Trafficking
In a shocking turn of events, Joseph Bongiovanni, a former DEA agent with a 20-year tenure, has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for using his badge to protect childhood friends who became prolific drug traffickers in Buffalo, New York. Bongiovanni, 61, expressed his uncertainty and fear as he awaited sentencing, stating, “I never knew what was on the other side of that door — that fear is what I feel today.”
U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo handed down the sentence, which was significantly less than the 15 years prosecutors had sought. The judge acknowledged the complexity of the mixed verdicts following two lengthy trials and the almost Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of Bongiovanni’s career, which included numerous front-page accolades for his heroic actions as a lawman.
Bongiovanni’s career was marked by bravery, including an incident where he hurtled into a burning apartment building to evacuate residents through billowing smoke. He also locked up drug dealers, including the first ever prosecuted in the region for causing a fatal overdose. However, his corruption involved providing law enforcement sensitive information to drug traffickers, including the identities of informants and sensitive law enforcement techniques and tactics.
Prosecution and Defense
Prosecutors painted a picture of Bongiovanni as a corrupt agent who helped drug traffickers, including Michael Masecchia, a former school teacher linked to Italian organized crime. They alleged that Bongiovanni provided sensitive information and helped traffickers by authoring bogus DEA reports, stealing sensitive files, and covering for a sex-trafficking strip club.
Defense attorney Parker MacKay argued that the government’s request for a 15-year sentence was “completely unmoored to the nature of the convictions.” MacKay stated that Bongiovanni is innocent and that they look forward to continuing to work with him to prove that.
Corruption and Betrayal
Prosecutors said Bongiovanni’s corruption caused immeasurable damage over 11 years and likened him to Jose Irizarry, a disgraced former DEA agent serving a 12-year federal sentence after confessing to laundering money for Colombian drug cartels. They argued that Bongiovanni upheld an oath not to the DEA, but to organized crime figures in the tight-knit Italian American community of his North Buffalo upbringing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi told the judge, “His conduct shook the foundation of law enforcement — and this community — to its core. That’s what a betrayal is.”
Conclusion
The sentencing of Joseph Bongiovanni serves as a reminder that corruption and betrayal can have severe consequences. The DEA has faced numerous corruption scandals in recent years, with at least 17 agents brought up on federal charges over the past decade. Frank Tarentino, the DEA’s northeast associate chief of operations, stated that Bongiovanni’s sentence “sends a powerful message that those who betray their badge will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
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