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Federal Agent Gets 3 Years For Helping Cocaine Trafficker

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

A former Homeland Security Investigations special agent has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking bribes to help a Colombian cocaine trafficker avoid charges.A Department of Justice news release says 52-year-old Christopher Ciccione II was sentenced Friday in Miami federal court as part of a plea agreement.
Authorities say Ciccione was the case agent for a large-scale organized crime and drug enforcement task force that resulted in indictments of Cali Cartel cocaine traffickers, including Jose Bayron Piedrahita Ceballos.
Court records say Ciccione of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, accepted about $20,000 in cash, dinner, drinks and prostitution in exchange for getting the indictment against Piedrahita dismissed. Authorities say Ciccione disclosed the identities of confidential sources, altered records and lied to federal prosecutors.