WASHINGTON, D.C.—There’s something weird about today’s announcement by the FBI regarding the arrest Tuesday, in conjunction with the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, of Anthony Mangione, 50, of Parkland, Florida, on child pornography offenses.
The announcement fails to mention that Mangione is also South Florida’s head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which among other responsibilities investigates sex crimes involving minors and others, and also keeps some watch over what printed materials are allowed into the country, including sexually oriented videos, books and magazines. Mangione, a 25 year law enforcement veteran, was named ICE special agent in charge of Miami in July 2007.
A local news outlet reported at the time, “Mangione will lead ICE investigative and operational law enforcement activities pertaining to drug smuggling, money laundering and financial crimes, commercial fraud, national security, and cyber crimes. Offices under his responsibility are the Resident Agent in Charge (RAC) offices in Fort Pierce, Key Largo, Key West, West Palm Beach and the Assistant SAC office in Ft. Lauderdale. Mangione will also coordinate and oversee ICE participation in investigations with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”
The glaring omission by the FBI of Mangione’s significant role in numerous criminal investigations, including for child pornography, is especially odd considering the fact that the allegations against him were first made in April and reported upon in the media. So why remove his identifying middle initial from the announcement and also fail to mention his law enforcement history? Equally odd is the fact that Mangione's work as a law enforcement agent is also not mentioned in the Grand Jury incitment brought against him.
It’s not like it’s a secret. The Miami Herald reported today that Mangione “showed no emotion at his federal court appearance in West Palm Beach,” where he pleaded not guilty to charges that, according to the FBI, “between March 2010 and September 2010, Mangione allegedly transported and received visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also alleges that Mangione possessed electronically stored messages that contained additional images of child pornography during the same time period.”
The Herald further reported that the initial investigation stemmed from an alert sent by AOL to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding four images of child sexual abuse allegedly sent to Mangione’s home computer. It was that alert that led to the issuance of a search warrant to enter the agent’s home and seize his computer for further examination. His work computer also was seized.
Though the announcement by the FBI contains no mention of any of this, the Herald article also reports that sources told them that the alleged illegal activity by Mangione was “not believed to have been” associated with any ongoing investigation or official duties.
“Mangione faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the transportation of child pornography charge, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the receipt of child pornography charge,” the FBI statement does state. “In addition, the possession of child pornography charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Mangione also faces a term of supervised release of five years to life following his prison sentence, and will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school.”
Mangione's Grand Jury indictment can be accessed here.
Photo: Anthony Mangione's booking photo
