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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 21 May 2022
Veteran Miami DEA agents charged in bribery conspiracy

By JOSHUA GOODMAN named member of Costan-
and JIM MUSTIAN zo’s family, according
Associated Press to court documents. The
A current U.S. Drug Enforce- payment appears to have
ment Administration agent been used by Costanzo to
and a former supervisor in repair a Porsche he owned,
the agency were charged according to an email ex-
Friday with leaking confi- change about the vehicle
dential law enforcement between the DEA agent
information to defense law- and an unnamed defense
yers in Miami in exchange attorney from the tony Mi-
for $70,000 in cash. ami suburb of Coral Gables
A five-count indictment un- with whom Recio was work-
sealed in New York charges ing with as a private investi-
the agent, John Costanzo gator.
Jr., with accepting bribes to In 2019, the same family
provide sensitive informa- member received $50,000
tion about pending inves- from a company owned
tigations to Manny Recio, by a local Florida police
a former Miami supervisor detective who also isn’t
who retired from DEA more named. The funds were
than two years ago to work used by Costanzo for a
as a private investigator for down payment on a con-
area defense attorneys. This June 13, 2016, file photo shows Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Florida. dominium, according to
Federal prosecutors allege Associated Press the indictment.
Recio sought the informa- is thirty grand right here,” agents behind bars. Just rich themselves,” Manhat- In addition to running data-
tion to help recruit new cli- Recio told Costanzo in a last week, another former tan U.S. Attorney Damian base checks, Costanzo al-
ents. 2019 recorded phone call DEA agent in Arkansas was Williams said in a statement. legedly assisted Recio in his
Using a burner phone in which the two discussed sentenced to more than In interviews with FBI agents work with another Miami-
that Recio purchased for a draft submission to pros- 11 years in prison for tak- in 2019, Costanzo and Re- area attorney represent-
Costanzo, the two men al- ecutors on behalf of one ing thousands of dollars in cio both denied ever ex- ing a charged defendant.
legedly coordinated un- target, according to court bribes from a drug traffick- changing anything of val- When prosecutors learned
lawful searches of criminal documents. er. The case has also sent a ue as part of the alleged that the defendant had
databases, helped DEA An attorney for Recio did chill through South Florida’s scheme. deleted information from
targets mislead federal in- not immediately respond close-knit, fiercely competi- Such actions would have his cell phone, Costanzo
vestigators and concealed to requests for comment. tive narco-defense circles been a flagrant violation of allegedly suggested that
payments made with the Costanzo’s attorney, Marc because of Recio’s strong the DEA’s standards of con- he mislead investigators by
knowledge of the suspects’ L. Mukasey, said in an email ties to federal law enforce- duct. The FBI wiretapped falsely claiming that he had
defense attorneys. that “the theory of this case ment and the high-paid, Recio for at least three deleted the information
Proceeds for the scheme is misguided and he will be private-sector lawyers. months while he worked in because he didn’t want
were allegedly used by vindicated.” “The conduct alleged in his post-retirement job as a the government to see na-
Costanzo to repair his The charges are the lat- the indictment violates the private investigator for de- ked photos of his wife.
Porsche, purchase airline est black eye for the DEA, core duty of law enforce- fense lawyers. Recio’s defense attorney,
tickets and make a $50,000 which has been beset ment officers to protect As part of the shady deal- Phil Reizenstein, previously
down payment on a con- by repeated misconduct and serve the public, rather ings, he at one point wrote told AP that Recio’s work
dominium. scandals that have land- than to use their access to a $2,500 check to a com- on cases had been “im-
“Make it look good. This ed a growing list of former sensitive information to en- pany co-owned by an un- peccable.” q

Recaptured Alabama escapee ordered to provide DNA sample

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — A the sample by Friday or “as and did not oppose the
capital murder suspect soon as practicable,” Med- request for a DNA sample,
who authorities say went ley said, and a defense made in the escape case.
on the lam for 10 days with lawyer can observe the But the prisoner’s mother
the help of an Alabama jail process. said she doubts her son
official was ordered to pro- White was charged with knew about the escape
vide a DNA sample to pros- escape after leaving the until Vicky White came to
ecutors. Lauderdale County jail in a take him from jail for a sup-
Lauderdale County District patrol car driven by Vicky posed mental evaluation
Judge Carole C. Medley White, the assistant correc- April 29.
did not cite a reason why tions director. Casey White White is scheduled to go
the sample was needed surrendered after being on trial in June on a capital
from Casey White, but she cornered in Evansville, Indi- murder charge in the slay-
approved the state’s re- ana, and Vicky White, 56, ing of Connie Ridgeway in
quest in an order Wednes- died of a gunshot wound 2015, although a delay is
day, records show. that a coroner determined possible.
White, who is being held was self-inflicted. Authorities said the man Escaped inmate Casey White arrives at the Lauderdale County
at a state prison after be- An attorney for Casey confessed to the killing in Courthouse in Florence, Ala., after waiving extradition in Indiana
ing recaptured in Indiana White has not commented 2020 while in prison for oth- Tuesday, May 10, 2022
last week, must provide publicly since the arrest er crimes.q Associated Press