Attorneys for former DEA agent Joseph Bongviovanni say federal prosecutors have “imagined the existence” of a powerful Buffalo mob family.

Federal prosecutors are looking for organized crime activities in a widespread investigation, just four years after the special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office said, “Some of the individuals who were leaders of the Mafia are still around. But their organized crime activities don’t exist anymore."

A Child Victims Act lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court alleged that Pat Monti groomed a girl for a sexual relationship starting when she was a 14-year-old student.

Joseph C. Bella III “is absolutely not a member of any organized crime,” attorney Thomas J. Eoannou said. “I think the government is trying to connect dots that presently don’t exist.”

Joshua D. Standard of North Tonawanda was sentenced Tuesday to four years in state prison for sexually abusing a girl under the age of 11.

Police said a 17-year-old Buffalo resident was ejected from the vehicle and later died at Erie County Medical Center.

A Buffalo man who prosecutors say was driving while intoxicated during a 2019 crash that killed his passenger has been sentenced to 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 years in prison.

Brian Martinez-Torres pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter Tuesday for last summer's shooting death of a man in Niagara Falls.

Police said Shyheim Rodriguez was charged with one count each of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Three people were injured Saturday night when a stolen pickup truck struck two other vehicles on North Bailey Avenue, Amherst Police reported.