Matthew Podolsky, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Office, have announced an indictment against David Macey, a criminal defense attorney from Florida. Macey faces charges including bribery of a public official and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. The allegations suggest that Macey paid significant sums to a senior DEA Special Agent in exchange for confidential law enforcement information to aid his legal practice.
Podolsky emphasized the seriousness of the charges: “As alleged, David Macey provided secret payments to a senior DEA special agent in exchange for access to sensitive information that Macey could use to enrich himself.” He highlighted the commitment of his office to combat bribery that undermines law enforcement integrity.
Dennehy also commented on the case: “David Macey, a criminal defense attorney, allegedly bribed a senior federal agent with tens of thousands of dollars for confidential information from law enforcement databases.” He stressed that such corrupt practices would not be tolerated by the FBI.
The indictment details how between October 2018 and January 2020, Macey and an associate paid bribes through intermediaries like Edwin Pagan III. These payments secured non-public DEA information used by Macey in his legal practice. Among these were payments funneled through companies linked to close associates or family members of those involved.
In return for these bribes, Agent-1 reportedly provided information about sealed indictments and upcoming arrests. Additionally, Agent-1 conducted searches within DEA databases at Macey’s request on numerous occasions during this period.
Macey and Pagan face multiple charges with severe potential penalties if convicted. The prosecution is being managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Deininger and Mat Andrews from the Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit.
The investigation received praise from Podolsky for its thoroughness and involved collaboration between several agencies including the FBI and DOJ’s Office of Inspector General.
