On May 14, 2024, a former DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, formerly assigned to the DEA Miami Field Office was sentenced to 3 years of incarceration, 3 years of supervised release, and a $400 assessment, for one count of Conspiracy to Bribe a Public Official, one count of Bribery of a Public Official, and two counts of Wire Fraud. Manuel Recio was sentenced in the Southern District of New York. According to the evidence presented at trial, from in or about October 2018, through in or about November 2019, Recio and former DEA Special Agent John Costanzo, Jr., together and with others, engaged in a bribery scheme (the “scheme”). During the scheme, Recio and others provided Costanzo with various benefits in exchange for Costanzo using his official position to benefit Recio and others, including by providing them nonpublic DEA information, including information about forthcoming sealed indictments and nonpublic investigations. This information included the identities of individuals charged and the anticipated timing of arrests, as well as intelligence which Costanzo obtained from a confidential DEA database. At the time, Recio was operating his own business, which provided private investigative services to criminal defense attorneys and also helped defense attorneys recruit clients. Among the benefits paid to Costanzo were tens of thousands of dollars that were funneled from Recio through a company created by a DEA task force officer. During the scheme, Costanzo and Recio allegedly took steps to conceal the existence of the scheme, including by structuring payments through third parties and through Costanzo’s use of a cellphone provided by Recio for communications related to the scheme. The investigation was conducted by the OIG’s Atlanta Office and the FBI.
Date Issued
Case Action
Sentencing