By Steve Neavling
A former DEA agent from Buffalo, N.Y, was convicted Thursday of corruption after a second trial on charges that he used his position to protect drug traffickers with alleged ties to organized crime.
Joseph Bongiovanni, 60, was found guilty of seven out of the 11 counts against him, including obstruction of justice and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, the Associated Press reports. Prosecutors said Bongiovanni shielded childhood friends who became drug dealers and other organized crime suspects, tipping them off to investigations and falsifying reports. They accused him of accepting at least $250,000 in bribes, which he allegedly used for personal expenses and luxury items.
“This jury determined he was a corrupt federal agent,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi said after the verdict. “He violated his oath and duties to protect those he should have been investigating and arresting.”
The case raised concerns about oversight within the DEA, following several corruption scandals at the agency. Bongiovanni is among at least 16 DEA agents charged federally since 2015. Many of those cases have led to prison sentences, including two supervisors involved in a Miami bribery scandal.
Bongiovanni was convicted on four counts of obstruction, as well as charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and making false statements to law enforcement. He was acquitted of a bribery charge and other fraud and conspiracy counts.
His attorney, Robert Singer, said he plans to appeal.
This verdict follows an earlier trial in which a jury convicted Bongiovanni of lying about a DEA file he kept at home but couldn’t agree on the other charges. During the retrial, jurors heard from over 60 witnesses. Bongiovanni did not testify at either trial.
“This was a hard-fought road to justice,” U.S. Attorney Trini Ross said. “But in the end, we got there.”
The case is linked to a sex-trafficking investigation involving Pharoah’s Gentlemen’s Club near Buffalo. Bongiovanni’s childhood friend, Peter Gerace Jr., who owns the club, is accused of bribing him and has ties to the Buffalo Mafia and the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Gerace has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Judge Lawrence Vilardo allowed Bongiovanni to remain free under electronic monitoring until his sentencing on June 9, where he could face up to 20 years in prison.
