By Karenlyn Barone
Grogan has exposed corruption in immigration and customs, led a sting operation in a federal prison and been instrumental in uncovering organized-crime-family corruption in federal agencies. He has also represented his department on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. But on Sept. 3, Grogan carried out his most difficult mission. He retired.
"It was tough," Grogan said. " It was easy to think about, but as my last day grew closer, it got tougher. But I decided it was time."
Grogan has had a long and illustrious career in the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, Department of Internal Affairs. His dedication and integrity have made him one of the most decorated agents in the New York metropolitan area. And he has spearheaded investigations that have played out like blockbuster movies.
As senior special agent, Grogan was the catalyst for the notorious "Operation Badfellas." He discovered and delivered the proof that members of the Luchese and Gambino crime families, serving time in a Brooklyn federal prison, were bribing guards in order to receive special treatment, which included lobster dinners, fresh pasta and expensive wines. The investigation ran for 18 months and resulted in the arrest of 12 federal prison guards.
"By the end of the investigation, 12 guards were charged with bribery for smuggling in everything from food to drugs," Grogan said. "[Crime-family figures] wanted their Italian food, like prosciutto, and steak and lobster. They bribed the guards to bring it to them. They were also receiving everything from marijuana to heroin."
Grogan also led investigations that focused on immigration and customs officials at John F. Kennedy Airport. "Prior to 9/11, there were groups of individuals attempting to bribe government employees at JFK, to smuggle aliens without proper credentials into the United States," Grogan explained. "The investigation was about two years long, and at the end, people were sentenced to prison and aliens were deported."
Surprisingly, Grogan said that he never considered his job to be dangerous. "It's been interesting and very exciting at times," he said. "I laugh about some of the things that some mobsters would do, and also wonder why people would sell out their jobs by taking a bribe."
In one of Grogan's most bizarre cases, an officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center was reportedly paid $1,000 to smuggle a convict's semen out of prison to a sperm bank. There the prisoner's girlfriend could be impregnated with his sperm while he served a 22-year sentence for murder.
"There are no conjugal visits in the federal system," said Grogan. "The government got the girlfriend to cooperate, and the guard was charged with accepting a bribe and fired."
You can't help believing Grogan when he says that one of the reasons he loved his job was because every day brought something different. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he became part of a team that worked at ground zero on recovery efforts and evidence gathering. Shortly afterward, he was named team leader of an FBI task force that was responsible for the arrest of suspected terrorists.
Grogan has received numerous honors and meritorious-service awards from the U.S. Attorney's Office during his career. Notably, he is the only federal agent to twice receive the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) Investigative Excellence Award.
On the local level, Grogan is an ex-captain of the Lynbrook Fire Department and has served as its press spokesman for the last 20 years. He co-founded the Junior Fire Department program and the Nassau County Firefighter's Emerald Society. He is also a member of the board of directors of the LINK Counseling Center in Lynbrook, and a member of the Advisory Committee of our Lady of Peace Church's Human Services Center.
Like his demeanor, his retirement plans are in direct contrast with Grogan's law-enforcement career: simple. His family -- his wife, Jane, and sons Steven, 27, and Brian, 15 -- is looking forward to having Grogan around more now that he has hung up his badge. His plans include writing a book about his escapades as a federal agent, and he will likely do some private security and protection work as well.
As a fitting end to his tireless service to his government, Grogan was introduced to Dick Cheney during the vice-presidentÕs visit to New York for the memorial service at the World Trade Center. Grogan will be honored at a dinner on Thursday, Sept. 18 at Carosello Restaurant in Howard Beach.
