Coral Gables police officer indicted in NY federal court
CORAL GABLES - Edwin Pagan, a Coral Gables police officer for 27 years, was indicted by a Southern District of New York federal grand jury on perjury charges, and he was relieved of his duties without pay pending an internal affairs investigation.
His status with the department will be reviewed after the investigation, police Chief Edward J. Hudak said Friday in a statement.
The charges against Pagan, 52, stem from defense testimony he gave at the trial of two former Drug Enforcement Agency supervisors in Miami, John Costanzo Jr. and Manny Recio, who were convicted on Nov. 8 of leaking confidential information to defense attorneys as part of a bribery conspiracy that prosecutors said imperiled high-profile cases and the lives of overseas drug informants.
His defense attorney, Christopher Decoste, told CBS News Miami that Pagan will surrender in New York on Monday, when the indictment should be unsealed.
Pagan has been an officer with the Coral Gables Police Department since June 1997. He spent four years with the South Florida Money Laundering Task Force as a detective and from 2009-2020 with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as a deputized special agent.
He is skilled in high-risk situations and a SWAT team operator.
Pagan holds a black belt in jujitsu, and runs Jem Solutions, which provides defense training for the public and police
Pagan received a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida International University and a Master of Behavioral Science degree at Nova Southeastern. He also attended the DEA Quantico Academy in 2009.
