Former DEA Agent Joseph Bongiovanni Gets 5 Years for Protecting Buffalo Drug Traffickers
Former DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni was sentenced to five years in prison for using his badge to protect Buffalo-area drug traffickers; at sentencing he insisted he was innocent and likened his fear to that of a "lead breacher," while his family broke down in tears. Judge Vilardo called his career "Jekyll-and-Hyde," citing both prior heroic acts — including prosecuting the region’s first dealer charged in a fatal overdose and rescuing residents from a burning building — and deep corruption, with prosecutors comparing him to disgraced ex-DEA agent Jose Irizarry and saying he owed an oath to organized-crime figures in North Buffalo; co‑conspirator Michael Masecchia, a former schoolteacher linked to Italian organized crime, was convicted and sentenced to seven years.
📌 Key Facts
- Former DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni was sentenced to five years in prison for protecting Buffalo drug traffickers.
- At sentencing Bongiovanni insisted he is innocent, likened his fear to being a "lead breacher" kicking in doors, and his family broke down in tears in court.
- U.S. District Judge Frank P. Vilardo described Bongiovanni's career as "Jekyll-and-Hyde," citing both heroic acts and deep corruption.
- The judge's contrast included examples that Bongiovanni once prosecuted the region’s first dealer charged in a fatal overdose and once ran into a burning building to rescue residents.
- Prosecutors compared Bongiovanni to disgraced ex-DEA agent Jose Irizarry, alleging he owed an oath to organized-crime figures in North Buffalo; co‑conspirator Michael Masecchia, a former school teacher tied to Italian organized crime, has already been convicted and sentenced to seven years.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS piece adds Bongiovanni’s personal statement at sentencing, where he insisted he is innocent and compared his fear to being a 'lead breacher' kicking in doors.
- Details that his family broke down in tears in court and that Judge Vilardo described his career as 'Jekyll-and-Hyde,' noting both heroic acts and deep corruption.
- Clarifies that prosecutors explicitly compared him to disgraced ex-DEA agent Jose Irizarry and alleged he owed an oath to organized-crime figures in North Buffalo.
- Adds narrative detail that he once prosecuted the region’s first dealer charged for a fatal overdose and once ran into a burning building to rescue residents, underscoring the contrast the judge cited.
- Restates that co-conspirator Michael Masecchia, a former school teacher linked to Italian organized crime, has already been convicted and sentenced to seven years.