Former DEA official's alleged co-conspirator in attempt to launder cartel money is infamous former CIA operative

An indictment for Robert Mario Sensi, born November 22, 1950, was unsealed today alongside former DEA deputy chief of financial operations Paul Campo for allegedly attempting to support the CJNG

Robert Mario Sensi of Boca Raton, Florida. Credit: A LinkedIn profile attributed to him.

Editorial note: The author is deep into a month-long investigation into the history of methamphetamine and fentanyl precursor shipments to the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels but is publishing this story as breaking news in the mean time.

Update: Roughly thirty minutes after publication of this article, The Associated Press reported an indirect confirmation of Sensi’s identity.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York kicked off a media frenzy earlier today by unsealing an indictment which alleges that Paul Campo, a former deputy chief of the DEA’s office of financial operations, attempted to provide support to one of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Campo’s attempted support for the cartel, along with his “friend” Robert Sensi, was said to include an agreement to launder $12 million, as well as advice for producing the synthetic opioid fentanyl and for procuring weaponized drones.

Paul Campo, who retired in 2016 as the DEA’s deputy chief of the Office of Financial Operations. Credit: Mr. Campo’s firm Global Financial Consultants.

Public records further reveal that Mr. Sensi, who was noted to be 75-years-old and from Boca Raton, Florida, is the infamous former CIA operative Robert Mario Sensi, who was born on November 22, 1950 and unsuccessfully sued Penguin Group for defamation in January 2008 over their publication of Larry J. Kolb’s book “America at Night.”

The news follows widespread reporting of the 29-year-old former CIA asset Rahmanullah Lakanwal being the primary suspect in the shooting of two national guard members in Washington, D.C. late last month.

According to the indictment, Sensi told a confidential source for the DEA, who posed as a member of the CJNG, that he could help procure commercial drones capable of carrying six kilograms of C-4 explosives, which were enough to “blow up the whole fucking…I don’t want to say.”

This same Robert Mario Sensi was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing $2.5 million from Kuwait Airways by U.S. District Judge George H. Revercomb on July 1, 1988, as reported at the time by The Washington Post, including with an age compatible with the indictment’s description of him as 75 years old. “The federal government has said that Sensi had a ‘relationship’ with the CIA from late 1983 until the time of his arrest,” reported The Post, adding that “Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore A. Shmanda, who prosecuted Sensi, said the charges against Sensi were unrelated to his CIA activities.”

Roughly thirty minutes after publication of this article, The Associated Press indirectly referenced the above prison sentence, stating that “Sensi was convicted in the late 1980s and early 1990s of mail fraud, defrauding the government and stealing $2.5 million, said the prosecutor, [Assistant U.S. Attorney Varun] Gumaste.” The prosecutor was said to have further claimed Sensi “was engaged in a scheme to procure military-grade helicopters for a Middle East country,” reported the AP, which did not reference The Post’s previous reporting on Mr. Sensi’s role with the CIA.

Sensi’s past role in the CIA has led to him being treated as a credible witness to the Ronald Reagan administration’s alleged “October Surprise” negotiation of the delay of Americans being released as hostage from Tehran until after his 1980 presidential campaign against Jimmy Carter ended. When journalist Craig Unger asked Sensi about whether the ‘October Surprise’ was real, he reportedly replied, “One hundred million per cent,” before adding that,“Absolutely. Unequivocally. And you can print it.”

But Mr. Sensi had been found liable for $325,000 as a result of fraudulent transfers in September 2015 by Judge John F. Walter for his role in what the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission described as a “Hong Kong-Based Pyramid Scheme Targeting Asian and Latino Communities.” Led by the Temple City, California-based “Phil” Ming Xu, the World Capital Market pyramid scheme had tapped Sensi “to help handle complaints about the Receivership Entities’ Ponzi scheme from authorities in Peru, Taiwan, and Dubai,” according to a successful complaint in the Central District of California. “Sensi further claims that he used to work for the Central Intelligence Agency and therefore had contacts in these locations,” continued the complaint, which had named Robert Sensi’s son Stefano Robert Sensi-Davenport as a co-defendant.

Public records further show that a Robert Mario Sensi from Boca Raton, Florida filed for bankruptcy in the state in 2023, while Florida public records for Stefano’s consulting firm Spacetao LLC list his and his father’s full name and share a registered address with that of Sensi Sr.’s Global Asset Tracking Corp, which is affiliated with the father’s public LinkedIn profile.

Mr. Sensi’s suit against Penguin for the publication of “America at Night” — in which he was a major subject — alleged that Kolb, the son of former senior CIA official, had committed a felony by publishing a short biography of Sensi which revealed his past undercover work in the CIA. “The publishing of Robert Sensi’s biographical information that Kolb claims [CIA co-founder] Miles Copeland gave him is a felony act,” claimed Sensi’s complaint, adding that “Kolb claims he knows for certain that Sensi is or was a CIA agent, and knowingly published Sensi’s bio on pages 25 and 26 of [‘America at Night’].”

Mr. Sensi’s claim that Kolb committed a felony by publishing his CIA background is likely a reference to the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which was passed in response to former CIA officer Philip Agee naming myriad station chiefs around the world through the magazine CovertAction Information Bulletin.

Mr. Sensi was claimed in the biography allegedly provided by Miles Copeland to have been a “fixer, adept at solving problems with INS, customs, [and] local police,” referring to the defunct U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) which preceded the post-9/11 formation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The portion of the allegedly felonious biography of Robert Sensi printed in “America at Night” is included here in full:

“Robert Mario Sensi. Born November 22, 1950, in Blue Island, Illinois. Parents, Stephen and Frances Sensi. Two brothers, Ulisse and Edgar; no sister. K-7th grade, St. Joaquin School, Chicago. Grades 8-11, schools in Detroit, New York, and Rome. In Rome studied opera and Italian, while living with his grandparents. By age 17, had forsaken a future as an opera singer and was back in Illinois. 1968, graduated from New Trier High School, Northfield, Illinois. Attended Fordham University in Chicago, obtaining Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Loyola 1970, just two years after high school.

Sensi’s first job after college was as a repo man for CIT Financial Corp. in Chicago. Within months, moved on to positions as tour guide and incentive sales director for Travel Headquarters, a Chicago travel agency. 1973, left to work in Chicago sales office of Air France. Within a year was assistant district manager. 1976, moved to Gulf Air, opening Gulf’s Chicago office with title Midwest Sales Manager. Developed reputation among diplomats and other Arab VIPs as the guy who could get things done for them in Chicago—a fixer, adept at solving problems with INS, customs, local police, just the guy to arrange theater tickets and private shopping tours for wives on a moment’s notice, or to discreetly procure prostitutes or about anything else for their husbands once the wives were out on the town.

1977, left Gulf Air and took job in Washington office of Kuwait Air ways. There, reported directly to Kuwaiti ambassador, and began performing services not only for the airline’s VIP travelers but also for the ambassador and visiting members of the Kuwaiti royal family. Excelled in obtaining visas, residency, prestigious university enrollments, medical treatment, and other dispensations for prominent Kuwaitis and their friends. Also excelled in procuring prostitutes, covering up arrest records, bribing professors to improve grades and doctors to amend records of embarrassing diagnoses. Proved so adept at extraordinary services that he was soon given expanded responsibilities and control of a multi-million-dollar Kuwait Airways slush fund to cover his operating expenses.

Also in 1977, Sensi met and befriended then relatively unknown frequent flyer Yasir Arafat, PLO Chairman. Arranged Arafat’s first U.S. media interviews. By then was fluent in Italian, French, Spanish, English, learning Arabic and Farsi. With these special talents and high-level access to prominent Arabs, Sensi was talentspotted and recruited by CIA. He has ready access to DCI Casey and is a regular visitor to White House. Guards there reportedly wave Sensi through on sight, without requiring credentials. He travels frequently to Europe, the Mideast, West Africa, Latin America in fundraising role as Chairman, Ambassador’s Club, Republicans Abroad division of RNC.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Mr. Sensi’s son Stefano declined requests for comment.

Last updated at 8:51 p.m. on December 5, 2025, to add reference to Sensi’s role in the World Capital Market ponzi scheme and his alleged knowledge of Reagan’s “October Surprise.”