FILE – A woman holds a poster showing Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab during a demonstration demanding his release, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting Saab for alleged money laundering.
The leak, not previously made public, marks yet another embarrassing case of high-profile agent misconduct at the U.S.’ premier anti-narcotics agency and could complicate the Justice Department’s already-fraught prosecution of Saab.
But prior to his arrest, Saab was himself signed up as a DEA informant, meeting with agents outside Venezuela, forfeiting millions in illegal profits and agreeing to help deepen their investigation of Maduro’s inner circle before abandoning his cooperation agreement, according to prosecutors. headtopics.com
Nadler’s testimony came several days into the bribery trial of Costanzo, who is charged with pocketing $73,000 in cash in return for leaking confidential law enforcement information to his former boss in the agency — and now co-defendant — Manny Recio.
While prosecutors have described the defense lawyers as “crooked attorneys” who “paid handsomely for DEA secrets,” they have not explained to jurors why they have not been charged alongside Costanzo and Recio. headtopics.com
Costanzo and Recio vehemently deny wrongdoing and have said the charges are rooted in “leaps, guesswork and speculation.” They have attacked this week the credibility of key witness Jorge Hernández, a longtime drug snitch who wore a wire for the FBI in this case even after the DEA blacklisted him for extorting other informants. Hernández has pleaded guilty to money laundering and told jurors he hopes his testimony will earn him a sentence of time served.
DEA agent leaked secret information about Maduro ally targeted by US, prosecutor saysProsecutors played wiretaps in federal court in New York showing a federal narcotics agent leaked sensitive case information about one of Washington’s top criminal targets in Venezuela — Alex Saab. The leak, not previously made public, marks yet another embarrassing case of high-profile agent misconduct at the U.S. Read more ⮕
DEA agent leaked secret information about Maduro ally targeted by US, prosecutor saysProsecutors played wiretaps in federal court in New York showing a federal narcotics agent leaked sensitive case information about one of Washington’s top criminal targets in Venezuela — Alex Saab Read more ⮕
Agente DEA filtraba información secreta sobre aliado de MaduroUn agente federal antinarcóticos filtraba información confidencial sobre uno de los principales blancos criminales de Washington en Venezuela como parte de un plan para vender secretos del gobierno a abogados defensores que buscaban atraer a clientes ricos, se declaró en un juicio esta semana. Read more ⮕
Eight new Frontier Sports Complex dugouts, two new Naperville Park District hires plannedThe Naperville Park District plans to hire two new employees and revamp eight softball dugouts in the coming months. Read more ⮕
The Best New Restaurant in New Orleans is Senegalese“The waitlist at Dakar is about 40-50 people every single day. We serve all of our guests at once so it can be a challenge.” Bon Appetit spends a day on the line with Sharena Smith, Sous Chef at Dakar Nola in New Orleans, a Senegalese restaurant that serves a 7-course tasting menu to all its customers at once. Read more ⮕
Hochul announces $75 million in new funding to combat rising hate crimes in New YorkMisty Severi is a breaking news reporter for the Washington Examiner. She has a particular interest in the United States military, European and international politics, and U.S. and European history. Read more ⮕
