Current:Home > ContactA former DEA agent is convicted of protecting drug traffickers-LoTradeCoin
A former DEA agent is convicted of protecting drug traffickers
lotradecoin fiat currency support View Date:2024-12-25 12:34:01
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Buffalo, New York, was convicted of corruption Thursday following a second trial on charges he used his position to protect drug traffickers he believed were associated with organized crime.
Jurors found Joseph Bongiovanni, 60, guilty on seven of the 11 counts he faced.
Prosecutors said Bongiovanni, for at least a decade, tipped off friends and associates to investigations, vouched for criminals and revealed the names of confidential informants. He was accused of taking at least $250,000 in bribes that prosecutors said he used for necessities, as well as trips and other luxuries.
The case cast a harsh light on the DEA’s supervision of agents amid a string of corruption scandals at the agency. Bongiovanni is among at least 16 DEA agents brought up on federal charges since 2015. Many of the cases resulted in prison terms, including two former DEA supervisors sentenced in a Miami bribery scandal involving intelligence leaks to defense attorneys.
Bongiovanni was convicted of four counts of obstruction of justice, as well as single counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and making false statements to law enforcement.
Jurors acquitted him of a bribery charge, and additional fraud, conspiracy and obstruction charges.
Thursday’s verdict comes after a jury in April convicted the former Buffalo agent of lying to federal authorities about a DEA file he kept at home, but could not not reach agreement on most other charges.
During a retrial on the unresolved counts that began Aug. 5, jurors heard from more than 60 witnesses.
Bongiovanni did not testify at either trial.
The case is part of a sex-trafficking prosecution involving the Pharoah’s Gentlemen’s Club outside Buffalo. Bongiovanni was childhood friends with the strip club’s owner, Peter Gerace Jr., who authorities say has close ties to both the Buffalo Mafia and the violent Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Gerace is awaiting trial on numerous charges, including that he bribed Bongiovanni. He has pleaded not guilty.
Bongiovanni is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Albertsons gives up on Kroger merger and sues the grocery chain for failing to secure deal
- AP Week in Pictures: Global | Nov. 10 - Nov. 16, 2023
- 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes' is two movies in one
- As Georgia looks to court-ordered redistricting, not only Republicans are in peril
- SCDF aids police in gaining entry to cluttered Bedok flat, discovers 73
- Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in trial of ex-officer in deadly Breonna Taylor raid
- You Only Have 72 Hours to Shop Kate Spade’s Epic 70% Off Deals
- Details Revealed on Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Baby Boy Rocky Thirteen
- Travis Kelce Praises Taylor Swift For Making Eras Tour "Best In The World"
- As Georgia looks to court-ordered redistricting, not only Republicans are in peril
Ranking
- Gen Z is 'doom spending' its way through the holidays. What does that mean?
- Sean Diddy Combs Denies Cassie's Allegations of Rape and Abuse
- While the suits are no longer super, swimming attire still has a big impact at the pool
- Missouri’s voter ID law is back in court. Here’s a look at what it does
- 'The Voice' Season 26 finale: Coach Michael Bublé scores victory with Sofronio Vasquez
- California authorities arrest man in death of Jewish demonstrator
- New details emerge from autopsy of man ‘ran over’ by police SUV, buried in pauper's grave
- A pregnant woman who was put on life support after a Missouri mall shooting has died, police say
Recommendation
-
Oregon lawmakers to hold special session on emergency wildfire funding
-
Comedian Marlon Wayans expresses unconditional love for his trans son
-
RSV is straining some hospitals, and US officials are releasing more shots for newborns
-
90 Day Fiancé’s Darcey Silva Marries Georgi Rusev in Private Ceremony
-
China says Philippines has 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea with US backing
-
Private detective who led a hacking attack against climate activists gets prison time
-
AP PHOTOS: Mongolia’s herders fight climate change with their own adaptability and new technology
-
Out of control wildfires are ravaging Brazil's wildlife-rich Pantanal wetlands