Retired Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Joseph Bongiovanni, of Tonawanda, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after being convicted of multiple corruption-related offenses, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Wednesday.
Bongiovanni was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, four counts of obstruction of justice, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo imposed the sentence.
According to prosecutors, Bongiovanni served as a DEA special agent from 1998 until his retirement in 2019 and was assigned to the Buffalo Resident Office beginning in 2001. During that time, he abused his position to protect friends, associates, and individuals he believed were connected to Italian organized crime in Buffalo from investigation and prosecution.
Prosecutors said Bongiovanni accepted bribes and provided law enforcement-sensitive information to Michael Masecchia, a former Buffalo school teacher, and others involved in distributing large quantities of marijuana, cocaine, and fentanyl pills. The information included details about ongoing investigations, confidential informants, and law enforcement techniques.
The 61-year-old Bongiovanni also created a DEA case file to shield drug traffickers from scrutiny by steering investigations away from other agencies and toward himself. He entered information into law enforcement deconfliction databases to alert him if other officers were investigating individuals he was protecting.
In addition, Bongiovanni was convicted of obstruction of justice and making false statements for preparing fraudulent DEA memoranda and lying to investigators to conceal his relationship with Peter Gerace Jr., who was under investigation for drug trafficking and related offenses.
Federal officials said Bongiovanni’s actions represented a serious breach of public trust. Law enforcement leaders emphasized that his conduct does not reflect the vast majority of officers who serve with integrity.
Masecchia was previously convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. Gerace was convicted by a federal jury and is awaiting sentencing.
