Michael Masecchia, left, walks out of federal court accompanied by his lawyer, Patrick Brown, after being sentenced to seven years in prison in 2022 for trafficking marijuana.
Schoolteacher Michael Masecchia, a father figure to some students and widely admired by faculty colleagues, was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday for the felony side of his life they did not see: trafficking more than a ton of marijuana into Buffalo and its suburbs over 20 years.
Former DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni is accused of protecting drug dealers with ties to the local mob. And now, for the first time since his arrest, federal prosecutors are naming names. A new grand jury indictment against the former agent also names Michael Masecchia, a former Buffalo school teacher described in court papers as a longtime drug dealer and
Teacher Michael Masecchia, at center in black suit, jumps in the air with students from a graduating class at Grover Cleveland High School in Buffalo on June 23, 2000. In December 2020, Masecchia pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Buffalo to felony drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Michael Masecchia, left, walks out of federal court accompanied by his lawyer, Patrick Brown, after being sentenced to seven years in prison in 2022 for trafficking marijuana.
Teacher Michael Masecchia, at center in black suit, jumps in the air with students from a graduating class at Grover Cleveland High School in Buffalo on June 23, 2000. In December 2020, Masecchia pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Buffalo to felony drug trafficking and weapons charges.