343: Constantine, Carazza, and Mancini - Boston Badge Betrayal, Police Corruption (Part 1)

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In this episode, retired agents Kevin Constantine and Mike Carazza, along with retired Boston Police Department (BPD) superintendent Frank Mancini, review their joint public corruption investigation of BPD police officers involved in criminal acts.

The officers, Roberto Pulido, Carlos A. Pizzaro, Nelson Carrasquillo, and others, engaged in identity theft, drug distribution, prostitution, obstruction of justice, robbery, threats, assault and battery, insurance fraud, and most prominently the protection of shipments of multi-kilogram loads of cocaine. The investigation utilized consensual recordings by a cooperating witness, a Title III Group II Undercover Operation, and 17 undercover agents, including legendary undercover agent Jack Garcia. This episode is dedicated to the late Giraldo “Gerry” Bermudez, one of the primary undercover agents in this case. May he rest in peace.

Special Agent (Retired)

Kevin Constantine

9/1996 – 2/2017

Kevin served in the FBI for 21 years. He worked on the Organized Crime Squad for three years, before moving to the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Squad. During his career, Kevin spent two years serving as a supervisor in the Public Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C., followed by a five-month assignment in Iraq, where he was detailed to the International Contract Corruption Task Force (ICCTF). He then returned to the Boston Division to work on public corruption investigations at the local, state, federal, and international levels until his retirement. Kevin was the primary investigator in several extremely sensitive domestic and international public corruption investigations.

In recognition of Kevin’s hard work and dedication to service, he has been the recipient of numerous awards for his investigative efforts, the highlight of these being selected by his peers as the 2006 Paul F. Cavanagh Award recipient, an award given to one Special Agent and Professional Support Employee whose contribution to the FBI’s mission exceeds expectations and whose overall performance upholds the highest traditions of the FBI.

During his time with the FBI, Kevin was a certified SWAT Team member, a certified Physical Fitness and Defensive Tactics Instructor, a certified Adjunct Instructor, and an FBI New Agent Applicant Assessor.

Currently, Kevin serves as Project Director at Madison Associates Inc., an international law enforcement services where, under a DOJ contract, he is detailed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) International Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters.

Special Agent (Retired)

Michael J. Carazza

2/1990 – 7/2015

Mike served in the FBI for a total of 27 years. During his career, he gained extensive experience in complex investigations, including public corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and financial crimes as a member of and later the supervisor of the Boston Division’s Public Corruption and Civil Rights Squad. Mike served as program coordinator for public corruption and civil rights programs within the Boston division’s four state territory and supervised complex public corruption investigations, including the successful prosecution of two Massachusetts Speakers of the House. He also directed complex undercover operations that resulted in the successful prosecution of a Massachusetts state senator and a number of rogue Boston police officers.

During these investigative efforts, Mike also developed high-level collaborations with key figures in Boston’s law enforcement and prosecution communities.

Earlier in his career, he was assigned to an Economic Crime Squad, where he worked all aspects of complex financial crime investigations, to include securities fraud, financial institution fraud, financial statement fraud, Ponzi and advanced fee schemes, government fraud, and various other frauds. His initial assignment was working complex violent crime and fugitive investigations, including FBI Top Ten Fugitive matters. He was a member of the FBI investigative team that located and apprehended FBI Top Ten Fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger.

Mike is the recipient of the 2014 Attorney General Award for Excellence in Investigation and numerous United States Attorney’s Awards. He was a nominee for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 FBI Director’s Award.

A few years after he retired, he returned to the FBI as a security specialist in the Security Division Security and Suitability Adjudication Unit, where he worked full-time for several years.

Currently he is president of MJC Investigative Consultants in Winchester, MA. The consulting service provides litigation support, due diligence and fraud investigations, employee and insider misconduct investigations, and compliance and security consulting.

Boston Police Superintendent (Retired)

Frank A. Mancini

1989 – 2019

Frank Mancini is a 30-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, formerly chief of the Bureau of Professional Standards, and former commander of the Boston Police and City of Boston Anti-Corruption Division responsible for investigating police and public official corruption, and other criminal activity involving all City of Boston employees.

As Superintendent, he oversaw and directed over 350 public corruption investigations, leading to numerous convictions at the federal, state, and local level. He has overseen or directly investigated over 3,000 internal affairs investigations, both criminal and administrative, including numerous police use of force and misconduct investigations.

He is currently a law enforcement consultant, expert witness, subject matter expert, and educator in areas of criminal justice, police management and operations, internal affairs processes and procedures, police accountability systems, police organizational risk mitigation and early intervention systems, and U.S. federal police oversight and consent decrees.