“I’m atoning for my sins,” Irizarry told The Associated Press after the hearing. Before his resignation in 2018, Irizarry is understood to have become well-renowned among agents at the organisation for his hard-partying lifestyle, which routinely involved “tales of raucous yacht parties with bikini-clad prostitutes,” the AP said. Irizarry had been a model agent after joining the DEA in Miami in 2009.
Irizarry faces potentially decades behind bars, though no immediate date was set for his sentencing. FBI special agent in charge Michael F. McPherson said in a statement that Irizarry caved to “greed and deceit.” (RELATED: Real-Life ‘Narcos’: DEA Agents Raise Red Flags Over Florida’s New Drug Import Measure).
The indictment further alleges that Irizarry and Gomez used drug proceeds to purchase jewelry, a home and multiple luxury vehicles for themselves and their family. Privacy Notice Proceeds from the scheme funded a veritable spending spree, including the purchase of a $30,000 Tiffany diamond ring, a BMW, three Land Rovers and a $767,000 home in Cartagena as well as homes in south Florida and Puerto Rico, where Irizarry and his wife had been living. Throughout the alleged conspiracy, diverted money was used to purchase jewelry, luxury cars and a home, and was sent as cash gifts for friends and family, prosecutors believe. Combined penalties for all of the charges contained in the indictment amount to a potential prison sentence of hundreds of years, should convictions be obtained.
(RELATED: Real-Life ‘Narcos’: DEA Agents Raise Red Flags Over Florida’s New Drug Import Measure), (RELATED: Hundreds Arrested In Nationwide Crackdown On Mexican Drug Cartel). Address: 17005 Manchester Rd
The offences carry a possible sentence of many decades behind bars. DEA employees work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe from drug-related crime, and former DEA Special Agent Jose Irizarry’s criminal actions do not reflect the high standards of conduct we demand of our employees and our agents. That money was then used at a Florida car dealership to buy a 2015 Land Rover for Irizarry and the leader of a Colombia-based drug cartel.
Jose Irizarry was the model agent for his bosses at the Drug Enforcement Administration. The disgraced agent, Jose I. Irizarry, pleaded guilty to 19 federal counts, including bank fraud and having diverted millions of dollars in drug proceeds from DEA control.
An inquiry to the DEA was referred to the Justice Department, which did not provide comment in time for publication.
The prosecution was not only an embarrassment for the DEA but could have long-lasting implications … The scheme was initiated shortly after Irizarry filed for bankruptcy in December 2010, according to the Justice Department. The seal of the Drug Enforcement Administration is seen on a lectern before the start of a press conference at DEA Headquarters on June 26, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia.