Chemistry

On the 13th day of testimony in Joseph Bongiovanni's bribery and corruption trial, Ronald Serio emerged as a pivotal witness naming names. Serio identified or confirmed the roles of more than two dozen people who he said helped him grow, buy, sell or transport illegal drugs.

Joseph Bongiovanni didn’t know about the Ronald Serio search warrants and surveillance by the Erie County Sheriff's Office, prosecutors say, and testimony in the former DEA agent's bribery trial revealed that the reluctance of sheriff's detectives to use a DEA database helped keep their Serio investigation from becoming known to Bongiovanni.

Prosecutors allege Joseph Bongiovanni's handling of the informant helped shield Ronald Serio and others in his drug-trafficking organization from investigation.

Testifying for nearly four hours Wednesday, Louis Selva barely looked at the defense table where his friend since sixth grade, Joseph Bongiovanni, sat.

Louis Selva is expected to share with jurors insider information that only he and a few other people know about how and why – and for how much money – Joseph Bongiovanni used his job as a DEA agent to shield a drug-trafficking organization from investigation and alert it to informants, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi said.

"This is a simple case about a dishonest and corrupt special agent who violated his oath and duty to enforce the drug laws of this nation in exchange for up to a quarter of a million dollars in bribes," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi said Thursday in his opening statement at Joseph Bongiovanni's trial.