An Interview with Joe Occhipinti (Rebroadcast)

On the Hollywood Godfather Podcast, hosts introduce former federal agent Joseph Occhipinti, outlining his career from Army MP and Customs to INS special agent, undercover work, and major cocaine seizures, followed by his later clemency from President George H.W. Bush (1993) and full pardon and apology from President Donald J. Trump (2020), plus his founding of the National Police Defense Foundation, Safe Cop, and Operation Kids. Occhipinti describes growing up on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, missing the NYPD height requirement, joining Customs, then becoming an INS agent specializing in Dominican organized crime in Washington Heights. He recounts posing as a corrupt official in FBI-monitored stings, meeting Rudy Giuliani during a bribery approach that led to a large cocaine seizure, and creating the multi-agency Project Bodega to target bodega-based drug operations tied to an NYPD officer’s murder. He explains the task force’s consent-search tactics, major seizures, political backlash involving Mayor Dinkins, and a cartel plan to frame him with federal civil rights charges, setting up the next episode.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy