Joseph Bongiovanni, a former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, is facing federal bribery charges after being accused of accepting over $250,000 to provide protection to the mafia while also aiding drug traffickers in conducting their operations in New York.
The former agent’s trial began this month and he could possibly spend the rest of his life in prison. The courtroom drama includes tales of deception, racism, and an egregious breach of trust.
Behind the veneer of a veteran U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, they alleged, was a turncoat on the take from the Buffalo Mafia, offering an “umbrella of protection” that derailed investigations of his childhood friends, covered for a sex-trafficking strip club and even helped a connected high school English teacher keep his marijuana-growing side hustle.
In a federal trial that began this month, prosecutors…
