Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime

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.