DEA agent accused of taking $250K in mafia bribes, covering for sex-trafficking strip club, helping HS teacher with marijuana side hustle



A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent is accused of taking $250,000 in bribes from the mafia, covering for a strip club allegedly involved in sex trafficking, and helping a high school English teacher with his marijuana side hustle.

The federal trial in upstate New York has begun for Joseph Bongiovanni – the former DEA agent accused of providing the Buffalo Mafia with an "umbrella of protection" in exchange for massive bribes.

The Associated Press reported, "Bongiovanni was raised in a tight-knit Italian American community in North Buffalo and known as a 'door kicker' in the DEA, defense attorney Parker MacKay said, 'not the type to sit in front of a computer.'"

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi told the jurors on Thursday that Bongiovanni turned to help the mafia after he encountered financial issues stemming from a costly divorce and his fondness for luxury trips.

Tripi claimed Bongiovanni had an admiration for those associated with "Italian organized crime."

Bongiovanni, 59, is accused of being a "double agent" who betrayed his badge to take $250,000 in bribes from the mafia to help the organized crime syndicate from getting caught by the feds.

The former DEA agent allegedly would tip off the mafia as to when they were "all clear" and law enforcement was not hot on their tail. Bongiovanni is said to have leaked intelligence to the mafia and opened fictitious cases to make it appear that he was investigating certain mafia members or to claim them as informants. Since Bongiovanni pretended to investigate the Buffalo Mafia, he would receive notice of any time another agency began investigating the criminal organization.

Bongiovanni allegedly encouraged his law enforcement colleagues to spend less time investigating Italians and focus on blacks and Hispanics, "n****** and s****" he purportedly said.

According to the AP, "Bongiovanni also is accused of vouching for criminals, filing bogus reports and swiping a sensitive DEA case file on organized crime that he stored in his basement after his abrupt retirement."

Prosecutors allege Bongiovanni went out of his way to protect the Pharoah's Gentlemen’s Club – a strip club in Cheektowaga that reportedly featured illegal drug use and sex trafficking.

The strip club's owner, Peter Gerace Jr, was childhood friends with Bongiovanni and is the grandson of Joseph Todaro – the "reputed leader of the Buffalo Mafia."

Tripi accused Gerace of providing "cocaine and women to high-end clientele."

Prosecutors said Gerace sought Bongiovanni's assistance in covering up the overdose of a stripper.

Gerace reportedly was heard on voicemail asking the former DEA agent about tracing a drug dealer's cellphone, "Is there a way to ping it like police do? I just want to know if you could do that or not."

Gerace's attorney, Mark Foti, said his client "denies all charges and looks forward to confronting the government’s evidence at his trial."

Prosecutors expect to call a public high school English teacher to the stand, who admitted to running a marijuana-growing operation while receiving confidential information from Bongiovanni.

Tripi said of Bongiovanni, "He did just enough legitimate work to avoid detection. He almost got away with it."

Tripi told jurors, "Sometimes the DEA doesn’t get it right. He was able to manipulate everyone because, in law enforcement, there’s a certain amount of trust that’s inherent. He did it under the watch of supervisors who under-supervised him.”

Bongiovanni has denied the counts of bribery, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice that could put him in federal prison for the rest of his life.

Bongiovanni's attorneys argue that he never took any bribes and that the government's case against him is built on the questionable testimony from individuals holding grudges against him and others who are seeking sweet deals from the Department of Justice for their testimony against him.

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'Blood everywhere': Man stabs fellow passenger with makeshift weapon during Alaska Airlines flight because 'mafia' was chasing him



A man aboard a recent Alaska Airlines flight constructed a makeshift weapon to stab a fellow passenger, according to multiple reports. The suspect allegedly said that he needed to protect himself because the "mafia had been chasing him."

The bloody stabbing took place during an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Seattle to Las Vegas on Jan. 24, 2024.

Julio Alvarez Lopez was described as acting “fidgety” throughout the flight, according to the New York Post. He also repeatedly put on and removed his gloves and went to the bathroom for lengthy amounts of time during the plane's initial descent, the outlet reported.

While returning to his seat, Lopez allegedly began punching and hitting a fellow passenger seated across the aisle from him.

The suspect reportedly constructed a makeshift weapon comprised of pens wrapped together with rubber bands. Lopez is accused of using the improvised weapon in an attempt to stab the male passenger.

During the alleged attack, Lopez is said to have hit the victim's wife as she shielded her 7-year-old son from the crazed assault.

KLAS-TV reported, "The witness told investigators there 'was blood everywhere.' After the attack, Lopez started screaming, ‘I’ll only talk to the FBI,' documents said."

The victim survived the attack but was severely injured.

There was a law enforcement officer aboard the plane who ordered Lopez to sit down in an empty seat as the flight crew "worked to provide flex cuffs and the defendant was restrained for the remainder of the flight," according to court documents.

Lopez reportedly told law enforcement that he "felt the mafia had been chasing him the last few months."

The suspect "admitted to never seeing" the victim before the violent incident "but planned on attacking and killing him" because he believed the man was part of a cartel.

Lopez allegedly told the FBI that "he intended to kill" the victim and that he "had created the weapon he used" in the attack.

Alaska Airlines confirmed "an altercation between two passengers" on Flight 604 on Jan. 24

"The incident happened as the aircraft was on descent for arrival in Las Vegas. The aircraft landed safely, and law enforcement took one passenger into custody after the plane arrived at the gate," the statement read. "We’re thankful for our crew for their professionalism in the handling of the incident."

Lopez was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon following his arrest at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Wednesday, Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury on the assault charge.

Lopez is scheduled to return to court on March 1.

FBI arrests man for allegedly stabbing passenger on Las Vegas-bound flight www.youtube.com

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Italian police capture most wanted mafioso who ran Cosa Nostra clan, was on run for 30 years



The 60-year-old mafia don whose criminal gang Cosa Nostra inspired "The Godfather" was captured Monday by Italian police after spending 30 years on the run. Matteo Messina Denaro was previously one of Europe's most wanted fugitives.

What is the background?

Denaro, who went by the nicknames "the devil" or "the skinny one," was the son of an influential Cosa Nostra boss, Don Ciccio. According to the Guardian, Denaro built an unlawful multibillion-euro empire in the wind energy, waste, and retail sectors.

The godfather is linked to over 50 murders, such as the bombings that claimed the lives of renowned anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino — after whom the international airport outside of Palermo was named.

These bombings also claimed the lives of Falcone's wife and the family's bodyguards. The overwhelming majority of Italians reckon Falcone to have died a hero.

Denaro was also wanted for the heinous strangling of Giuseppe Di Matteo, a former mafioso's son whose body the mobster dissolved in a vat of acid.

The New York Times noted that Denaro allegedly murdered a pregnant woman on June 15, 1992.

Denaro went on the run in June 1993. Despite having abandoned his headquarters in Trapani, he was still considered the head of the Cosa Nostra, reported the Los Angeles Times. Italy's Carabinieri (national) police indicated last year that Denaro was still giving orders.

While he allegedly managed his illicit affairs in exile and continued to profit from wind farm deals, various collaborators throughout Sicily reportedly helped the murderer evade arrest.

Prosecutors suggested that the mobster relied heavily upon a network of powerful freemasons to maintain his freedom, reported the Times.

While underground, Denaro was nevertheless tried and convicted of dozens of murders. Denaro now faces multiple life sentences.

Justice as a gift

Police caught Denaro, the last "godfather" of the Sicilian mafia, in Palermo, where he had been living under the assumed name "Andrea Bonafede."

Carabinieri police intercepted him at a private health clinic on Jan. 16, where, according to Carabinieri Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, the mobster had been receiving treatment at the clinic for an undisclosed medical condition.

A pair of Carabinieri officers marched the defeated and feeble mobster out of the clinic and dumped him into black van. They then took Denaro to a secret location.

\u201c\ud83d\udd34 Le prime immagini di #MatteoMessinaDenaro, arrestato questa mattina a Palermo.\u201d
— RTL 102.5 (@RTL 102.5) 1673865189

Some people took to the streets to applaud the mobster's arrest:

\u201cVedere le persone che esultano per la cattura di Matteo Messina Denaro \u00e8 la cosa pi\u00f9 bella che vedrete oggi (a parte l'arresto).\u201d
— Ida De Vico (@Ida De Vico) 1673860928

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, "This is a great victory for the Italian state, which shows we should never surrender to the mafia."

Meloni thanked police and government forces for Denaro's arrest in the "aftermath of the anniversary of the arrest of [Salvatore] Totò Riina."

\u201cUna grande vittoria dello Stato che dimostra di non arrendersi di fronte alla mafia. All'indomani dell'anniversario dell'arresto di Tot\u00f2 Riina, un altro capo della criminalit\u00e0 organizzata, Matteo Messina Denaro, viene assicurato alla giustizia.\u201d
— Giorgia Meloni (@Giorgia Meloni) 1673859841

Riina, also a murderous mobster, ordered hundreds of murders, including Falcone's and Borsellino's in 1992. Riina had begged to die in his home, but succumbed to cancer behind prison bars at the age of 87 in November 2017.

Concerning Denaro's arrest, Lamberto Giannini, Italy's chief of police, said, "It is a victory for all the police forces that have worked together over these long years to bring the dangerous fugitive to justice."

Once known for his lavish lifestyle, expensive cars, and designer clothes, Denaro will likely die behind bars in his prison uniform.

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DOJ busts 15 members of Philadelphia Mafia, including 'Tony Meatballs' and 'Joey Electric'



The Department of Justice announced on Monday indictments against 15 members and associates of the Philadelphia Mafia for their alleged involvement in various crimes including federal racketeering, illegal gambling, loan-sharking, extortion, and drug trafficking.

What are the details?

The criminal organization, officially referred to as the South Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey-based criminal organization "La Cosa Nostra," has been operating in the region for decades and is "one of a number of LCN organized crime families based in various cities throughout the United States," the DOJ stated in a news release.

As expected for a Mafia bust, the nicknames of defendants charged in the indictment read like a casting list for a gangster movie. Here's more from the news release:

The defendants charged in the seven-count Superseding Indictment are Steven Mazzone, aka "Stevie," age 56; Domenic Grande, aka "Dom," aka "Mr. Hopkins," aka "Mr. Brown," aka "Dom14," age 41; Joseph Servidio, aka "Joey Electric," age 60; Salvatore Mazzone, aka "Sonny," age 55; Joseph Malone, age 70; Louis Barretta, aka "Louie Sheep," age 56; Victor DeLuca, aka "Big Vic," age 56; Kenneth Arabia, aka "Kenny," age 67; Daniel Castelli, aka "Danny," aka "Cozzy," aka "Butch," aka "Harry," age 67; Carl Chianese, age 81; Anthony Gifoli, aka "Tony Meatballs," age 73; John Romeo, age 58; Daniel Malatesta, age 75; Daniel Bucceroni, age 66; and John Michael Payne, age 34.

Like other Mafia organizations, or families, the Philadelphia LCN operated through a defined hierarchical structure, which includes a "boss," an "underboss," and several "captains" who oversee crews of "soldiers" and "associates," the news release noted.

Soldiers are members of the crime family who have been "made" through an initiation ceremony, in which they swear allegiance, vow secrecy, and agree to commit violence on behalf of the family, if needed. Associates, on the other hand, are men who engage in coordinated criminal activity with the family but who have not been "made" for various reasons.

According to the indictment, 10 of the alleged mobsters were charged with engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity and through the collection of unlawful debts. The remaining five were charged with various other offenses, including conducting an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

What else?

Though it doesn't appear that DOJ officials were able to indict the boss, the organization's underboss, Steven Mazzone, and a captain, Domenic Grande, were listed in the charges.

"Thanks to the dedicated and courageous efforts of federal law enforcement over the past several decades, the Philadelphia mob isn't what it used to be, and thank God for that," U.S. Attorney McSwain said regarding the indictments. "But it is still a problem and is still allegedly committing serious federal crimes, which is why we at the Department of Justice are focused on stamping it out. We will not rest until the mob is nothing but a bad memory."

The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI in coordination with Pennsylvania state police and Philadelphia police.

"The charges unsealed today against these 15 alleged members and associates of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra show that the mafia remains a criminal presence in our city and beyond," Michael J. Driscoll, the lead FBI Special Agent in the Philadelphia division, added. "From loansharking and illegal gambling to drug trafficking and extortion, the mob continues to keep its fingers in many different pots, in its ceaseless quest for illegal profits. This group should've learned by now that the FBI is as committed to eradicating organized crime as wise guys are to embracing it."