Broward Sheriff's detective accused of tampering

A 12-year veteran Broward Sheriff's deputy was arrested Wednesday in a witness tampering case, the Sheriff's Office confirmed.

Detective Anthony Costanzo, 42, surrendered at the Broward Main Jail and was released on $5,000 bond. He had been suspended with pay since January as the result of an investigation launched by the Broward State Attorney's Office. Costanzo's status was changed to suspended without pay following Wednesday's arrest, sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.

Known as "Zo," Costanzo is charged with tampering with a witness, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, disclosing confidential information and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, according to the Broward State Attorney.

Costanzo is accused of interfering with an ongoing racketeering and extortion case against two Fort Lauderdale police officers.

State Attorney's Office investigators said deputies pulled over a woman and her husband for making an improper left turn in Oakland Park on Jan. 20. Costanzo was among five deputies who responded to the traffic stop and searched the woman's vehicle and her purse. They took the woman into custody alleging possession of controlled substances, according to the arrest report.

She told the deputies that she had valid prescriptions for her medications and later provided proof to the State Attorney's Office; the charges against her were dropped on Feb. 6, the report stated.

But while in custody at the Sheriff's District 12 substation on Jan. 20, she told Costanza that she had been a victim of false imprisonment in a criminal case against Fort Lauderdale police detectives Billy Koepke and Brian Dodge, and that Costanzo and the other deputies reminded her of the Fort Lauderdale officers, State Attorney's investigators said.

Costanzo used his cellphone to videotape the conversation he had with her about the criminal case against Koepke and Dodge, then he sent the video file to Koepke's cellphone, investigators said.

Later that same day, Costanzo told Broward Sheriff's Sgt. Patrick Murray that Koepke was "a buddy" of his. Costanzo reminded his sergeant of the criminal charges against Koepke, showed him a portion of the video on his cellphone, said he had sent it to "Billy," and that it was going to help Koepke with his criminal case, investigators said.

Costanzo's cellphone was seized with a search warrant. FBI forensic analysts examined it and discovered that the video had been removed, deleted or destroyed, the report stated.

Witness tampering is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison. Tampering with evidence, disclosure of confidential information, and felony use of a two-way communication device are all third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years in prison.

Costanzo was stationed in Oakland Park, where he participated in several high-profile cases and was featured on the Fox series "COPS" during his career, the Sheriff's Office said.