Broken Badge: The Silencing of a Federal Agent [Paperback]

Nick Mangieri (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

A non fiction , expose-type book, by a former federal agent who investigatedformer Mayor Marion Barry and other officials during the early days of his administration. The author uncovered widespread sexual coercion and other illegal activities, but faced coverups and obstruction of justice by his superiors. As a result, he was spied upon, illegally investigated, indicted on trumped-up charges, and eventually forced into retirement - all to keep him from doing his job.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As a special investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor in the late 1970s, Nick Mangieri came across extensive examples of top-level government corruption. But, he maintains, his superiors told him to look the other way and tried to ruin his career when he refused to play ball. Broken Badge is his story, told in a language as unfiltered and uncompromising as his point of view.

About the Author

A native born New Yorker and Navy veteran, the author was a federal agent with the Department of Labor attached to the Inspector General's Fraud Division. Prior to his retirement, he was assigned to South Florida and to Washington D.C. He's also been a Police Chief (Alaska),a Deputy Sheriff (California) and a Private Detective (New York).In addition, he's been a free lance writer for men's adventure magazines where his self-imposed junkets took him into the interiors of Central and South America, where he diamond-prospected in the jungles, hunted jaguar and mountain climbed. He posses a BA (English), an MS (Administration of Justice and Public Administration)and has done extensive post graduate work. Married and the father of four, he is currently a licensed Private Investigator.

Product Details

• Paperback: 421 pages
• Publisher: Valor Pr Ltd (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966536401
• ISBN-13: 978-0966536409
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,205,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic real-life portrayal of police investigations!, December 7, 1998

By 

NYC Reader "floja" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Badge: The Silencing of a Federal Agent (Paperback)

In the tradition of Serpico, Nick Mangieri blows the lid off scandal and corruption in federal law enforcement in Broken Badge: The Silencing of a Federal Agent.

It's the late 1970s, and feminism is drawing attention to the workplace. Marion Barry's mayoral administration is swinging into high gear. Nick Mangieri is appointed as a Special Agent to investigate crimes of fraud and improper use of government money. But the wall of corruption that pervades U.S. federal agencies is too strong to break through-until Mangieri comes along.

Because of his comprehensive law enforcement background-which includes a term as a police chief-Mangieri was selected to investigate abuses at the federal level. When he swore an oath to uphold the law and the Constitution of the United States, he had no idea that his investigations would be thwarted at every turn by corrupt officials more interested in protecting each other than in justice.

In Broken Badge, Mangieri tells all, starting with his relentless pursuit of the truth that led to the resignation of a Florida college president and ordained minister who used federal money to coerce an innocent young woman into unwanted sexual relations. Mangieri follows the money trail from Florida to Washington, D.C., where he uncovers secrets that the rich, powerful politicians of the nation's capitol tried desperately to keep hidden behind closed (bedroom) doors. The attractive young ladies who were rocketed into high-level GS-14 government jobs without any workplace skills...the group of sexy female workers who were known to their influential politico bosses as their "harem" or the "dancing girls"...sexual coercion that pervaded government agencies, made possible by diverting federal funds intended for education...these are the crimes that Mangieri uncovered through his intensive investigations.

Mangieri blows Washington scandal and corruption out of the water-only to be thwarted from within his own agency. As his investigation into corrupt officials heats up, his persecution by officials from the Inspector General's office all the way down to the field level accelerates. At first it is subtle: Special Agent Mangieri is bogged down with superfluous paperwork and unwarranted transfers. As his inquiries begin to strike closer to home, he finds himself indicted on trumped-up charges, yanked off his cases-and eventually, forced to retire.

Mangieri details his wrenching experiences in Broken Badge, providing a spell-binding account of a righteous man who tried only to protect the innocent and ferret out the guilty-regardless of their power or position in society. Mangieri reveals how he stood up to the system and ultimately paid the price for upholding his oath of office.

Broken Badge not only recounts the horror of being falsely accused by powerful law-makers, it is also a realistic depiction of the day-to-day experiences of a federal investigator. Mangieri stays away from the trap of romanticizing the work of a Special Agent. Instead, he paints a picture of the gritty realities of the job. Broken Badge is a must-read for everyone who wants to know whether truth and justice can really triumph over corruption and obstruction of justice when the deck is stacked against you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John: A Reader from the Southwestern USA, January 11, 2000

By 

"jbrnt" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Badge: The Silencing of a Federal Agent (Paperback)

Outstanding read. I salute the author for his honesty and resolve. Having been assigned to Washington,DC as a member of the armed forces my observations paralleled that of the author's. As a Federal Investigator the author uncovered wrongdoing and by the oath of his office pursued the corruption. A Great Read! This is the Real World Folks! Read it! You won't put it down until you close the rear cover. The author should have received a medal.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mission Impossible in Real Life!, January 3, 2002

By 

"fsbohelp" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Badge: The Silencing of a Federal Agent (Paperback)

Nick has a very special way of relating real events. I found this book very compelling and exciting to read, not only because of the author's straightforward style, but because these were real events.

If you like intrigue and real-life crime type stories... buy this book!