In a major growth on Wednesday, a federal decide sentenced John Costanzo Jr., a longtime agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to 4 years in jail.
Costanzo was discovered responsible final 12 months of bribery and honest-services wire fraud, marking one other occasion of a DEA agent dealing with federal convictions.
The sentencing, presided over by U.S. District Courtroom Decide Paul Oetken, emphasised Costanzo’s position as a supervisor and the severity of his actions, which prosecutors argued endangered ongoing drug circumstances and the lives of confidential informants.
Supervisor’s culpability highlighted
Decide Oetken underscored Costanzo’s heightened duty as a supervisor throughout the DEA, noting that he was absolutely conscious of the illegality of his actions.
Costanzo, 49, expressed regret in the course of the sentencing proceedings, acknowledging the gravity of his transgressions.
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Regardless of his remorse, prosecutors pushed for a steeper sentence, highlighting Costanzo’s exploitation of his experience in narcotics investigation and his betrayal of regulation enforcement rules for private achieve.
Greed and abuse of authority
Prosecutors depicted Costanzo’s motivations as purely pushed by greed, alleging that he utilized his skilled community and expertise to revenue unlawfully by leaking delicate regulation enforcement info.
The prosecution’s case closely relied on intercepted communications between Costanzo and one other former DEA supervisor, Manny Recio, who collaborated with protection legal professionals in a bribery scheme.
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Collusion with protection legal professionals
The intricate scheme concerned leaking DEA intelligence to protection attorneys David Macey and Luis Guerra, who allegedly financed the operation.
This leaked info was purportedly used to solicit new purchasers dealing with federal drug costs.
Whereas Macey and Guerra haven’t confronted costs themselves, prosecutors sought entry to privileged communications between Recio and the attorneys, citing an ongoing investigation.
A sample of corruption
Costanzo’s sentencing comes amidst a string of scandals involving DEA brokers.
Simply weeks prior, a federal jury in Buffalo convicted one other veteran DEA agent of obstruction of justice and mendacity to federal brokers in a sprawling corruption case.
Household entanglements
The involvement of Costanzo’s father, a retired DEA agent himself, additional complicates the case.
Prosecutors alleged that the elder Costanzo performed a pivotal position in facilitating bribe funds, tarnishing the picture of a father-son relationship that the protection sought to painting as honorable.
