NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A five-count indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court today charged a current DEA agent for accepting bribes and a former DEA agent for giving bribes in exchange for sensitive information.
The Former agent, Manuel Recio, funneled tens of thousands of dollars to the current agent, John Costanzo Jr., in exchange for sensitive law enforcement information such as pending cases and impending arrests that helped Recio assist in recruiting clients for defense lawyers, according to prosecutors.
Both were arrested today.
“It is critical for federal law enforcement officers to preserve the integrity of ongoing investigations and not divulge confidential information to the private sector in exchange for financial benefits,” Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said.
Costanzo, 47, of Arlington, Virginia, is a DEA special agent currently assigned to DEA headquarters and was a group supervisor in DEA’s Miami office until June 2019. Recio, 53, of Miami, Florida, was a former special agent who retired as the assistant special agent in charge of the Miami field office in 2018.
After retirement, Recio started his own business providing private investigative services to criminal defense attorneys and also helped recruit clients for defense attorneys. Around this time, Recio and Costanzo struck a deal. Costanzo gave information obtained from the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Information System (NADDIS) to Recio in exchange for money including a payment of $50,000 to Costanzo’s close family members for him to purchase a condominium in 2019.
Both were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison, and one count of receiving or paying a bribe, respectively, which carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison.
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