Anthony Mangione, head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's South Florida Office since 2007, was arrested today and is being held at the Broward County main jail at the behest of the U.S. Marshals Service. Mangione was the subject of a child pornography investigation starting in April, after AOL alerted a nonprofit group about images that were reportedly downloaded at his IP address. Mangione was placed on administrative leave earlier this year, just before he had planned to retire.
No details are available about the charges against Mangione at this time, though computers had previously been seized from his house in Parkland and from ICE's Miami-Dade offices.
Mangione was the head law enforcement officer for ICE and specialized in drug smuggling, financial crimes, and cyber crimes -- including child pornography -- according to an article in the Sun-Sentinel.
The paper points out a bit of pedo-irony in some old quotes from Mangione, condemning a sentenced sexual predator:
"This case reveals the disturbing truth that child predators will go to great lengths to sexually exploit minors," Mangione said in a 2008 news release, after a Martin County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for using the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. "ICE is committed to identifying and arresting these individuals who seek to victimize children and help ensure that justice is served."
ICE is building an expanded presence in South Florida, with plans in the works for an 1,800-bed detention facility in Southwest Ranches. Mangione hasn't been quoted in any news releases lately -- somebody else took over his job after the investigation began.
Mangione is expected to appear Wednesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
