The attorney for a former Allegheny County police officer facing drug charges in connection to the overdose of his 15-year-old niece says his client should not be blamed for her death.
Daniel Bondi was arrested and arraigned Wednesday for allegedly bringing fentanyl and heroin into a Beechview home where Isabella Bondi died from an overdose in July of 2017.
Bondi had been living in the same house with his niece, his sister, who was the girl’s mother, and his father. Police claim they found stamp bags in the girl’s room that matched bags in Bondi’s room, across the hall and five feet away.
“Obviously, when his niece passed away, it was heartbreaking and devastating to the family. To reopen old wounds is just unfortunate, because I don’t believe that Dan’s responsible for her ultimate death,” Bondi’s attorney, Casey White, said. “To charge him with endangering the welfare of a child and the possession related charges, it’s just unfortunate, and we look forward to addressing all these issues and presenting our defense in future proceedings.”
Bondi was not charged with homicide in connection to the girl’s death. He faces felony charges of endangering the welfare of children and delivery of a controlled substance and other related charges.
Bondi was with the Allegheny County Police Department from 2006 to 2012, according to county records. In 2012, he was a detective making $75,356. White would not comment on whether Bondi was fired from his job.
Bondi told the grand jury when he testified before it in 2017 that he had been addicted to heroin for at least four years. He told police investigating his niece’s death that a box of drugs found in her room was not the stuff that he gets.
White acknowledged it was possible that someone else was bringing drugs into the home.
According to testimony heard by the grand jury, similar drugs were also found on the girl’s mother, who has not been charged in the case.
Bondi, however, told the grand jury that he was the only individual who brought drugs into the home. The girl’s mother also told the grand jury that she received the drugs from Bondi. She said she kept the drugs with her and never left any around the house, according to the grand jury.
“Until I have hard allegations, I can’t really say one way or the other, but that is a possibility,” said White. “We’re trying to learn all the facts and all of the allegations because they’re still coming to light, and there’s a long way to go, and there is a lot of evidence that we are unaware of right now.”
