Former DEA agent sentenced to 5 years in prison for using badge to protect drug trafficking friendsA former DEA agent has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for corruptionByJIM MUSTIAN Associated PressJanuary 21, 2026, 3:30 PMBUFFALO, N. Y. -- In two decades of kicking in doors for the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Joseph Bongiovanni often took on the risks of being the “lead breacher," meaning he was the first person into the room. On Wednesday, he felt a familiar uncertainty awaiting sentencing for using his DEA badge to protect childhood friends who became prolific drug traffickers in Buffalo, New York.“I knew never what was on the other side of that door — that fear is what I feel today,” Bongiovanni, 61, told a federal judge, pounding the defense table as his face reddened with emotion.
