Five weeks into Joseph Bongiovanni's bribery and corruption trial, prosecutors say unexplained cash deposits enabled him to break even financially over a period of years they contend he received a quarter of a million dollars or more in cash bribes from a drug-trafficking organization as well payments from a Cheektowaga strip club owner.
Testifying for nearly four hours Wednesday, Louis Selva barely looked at the defense table where his friend since sixth grade, Joseph Bongiovanni, sat.
The couple once followed the so-called American dream. Then they decided to pack up the kids and travel the world, visiting the pyramids of Egypt, Paris, Australia and more.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo ordered separate trials Wednesday for Peter Gerace Jr., owner of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club, and retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent Joseph Bongiovanni.
The latest delay was triggered by an effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to block defense attorney Eric Soehnlein from representing Peter Gerace Jr., the owner of Pharaoh's strip club who is awaiting trial on charges of bribing a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and witness tampering.
Prosecutors raised concerns over witness safety and anxiety, given what they call the extensive media coverage of the bribery, sex- and drug-trafficking case.
Four years into wearing an ankle bracelet as an indicted ex-DEA agent, Joseph Bongiovanni now fears it could take well into a fifth year before he can try to clear his name in a courtroom.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo, whose approval would be necessary to discharge Steven M. Cohen from the case, asked for affidavits from Cohen or his client Peter Gerace within a week. He said he would decide how to proceed after learning more about their differences.
U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. recused himself Wednesday from a high-profile bribery, sex- and drug-trafficking case less than two months before the scheduled start of the trial for the strip club owner and former DEA agent facing the charges.
A nationwide decline in foster home spots has led to dire situations in some rural areas, including northeastern Nevada, where a state social worker has been pleading with community leaders to help address a shortage that left officials housing children in casino hotels.
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