A former Allegheny County narcotics detective pleaded guilty Thursday to endangering the welfare of children stemming from the overdose death of his 15-year-old niece two years ago.
Daniel Bondi, 43, of Beechview will spend one to two years in state prison as part of the plea agreement he reached with the state Attorney General's office.
Sentencing in the case will be Feb. 4 before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander P. Bicket.
Mr. Bondi, who worked for the Allegheny County Police Department from 2006 to 2012, represented himself at Thursday's hearing.
In addition to the prison term, he will serve five years probation.
According to Senior Deputy Attorney General Katherine Jordan, police were called to an overdose death in Beechview on July 27, 2017.
There they found Isabelle Bondi. She died from an overdose of fentanyl. Investigators found a syringe and stamp bags marked "XXX" in blue ink.
In Mr. Bondi's bedroom, investigators found hundreds of used stamp bags, as well as dozens of syringes. Some of those bags, Ms. Jordan said, matched the ones found next to the victim.
"He was in a position where he violated a duty of care," Ms. Jordan said.
Mr. Bondi repeatedly bought fentanyl for personal use and brought it into the Realty Avenue home he shared with Isabelle and other relatives, according to the AG’s office. He had initially been charged with other offenses, including prohibited delivery of a controlled substance, but those charges were withdrawn as part of the plea deal.
Mr. Bondi also pleaded guilty in a 2014 case to impersonating a public servant. That charge, according to the prosecution, stemmed from Dec. 8, 2013, when he was pulled over by Stowe police officers. Mr. Bondi said, at the time, that he was working as a narcotics officer, when that was no longer true.
Paula Reed Ward: pward@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2620 or on Twitter: @PaulaReedWard.
First Published: November 7, 2019, 5:32 p.m.
