Former DEA Special Agent Arraigned on Superseding Indictment for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States Government

On June 12, 2020 a former DEA Special Agent previously assigned to the Buffalo Resident Office was arraigned on a Superseding Indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of being a public official accepting a bribe, one count of paying a bribe to a public official, seven counts of obstruction of justice, and two counts of false statements to an agency of the United States. Joseph Bongiovanni was indicted and arraigned in the Western District of New York. According to the Superseding Indictment, between 2008 and 2019, Bongiovanni, among other things, provided information to targets of criminal investigations that obstructed law enforcement efforts to investigate those targets, assisted in shielding those targets from criminal investigations, and made false statements to the OIG when interviewed. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s New York Field Office with assistance from the DHS HSI; forensic assistance is being provided by OIG Cyber Investigative Office.