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Kevin Riford
My family—Christina Riford, Katie Riford, and I—formally reported the private investigative firm Peter Vito & Associates, owned by Niagara County resident Peter M. Vito, for engaging in harassing and intimidating behavior. Specifically, we reported two individuals employed by the firm, Michael Mazga and Patrick Ostrowski, for their tactics. This report was made to FBI Agent Brian A. Burns in Buffalo, New York, in early 2019. You can listen to the full conversation between my family and FBI Brian Burns here.
After identifying these individuals, we learned that both Mazga and Ostrowski were actively employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as publicly noted on their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles at the time. The images and affiliations referenced were collected in 2019.
We later obtained records from the FBI through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that document the harassing behavior of Mazga and Ostrowski—federal agents moonlighting as so-called “private investigators.”
Following our report to the FBI, my family became the target of persistent harassment. We believe this was in direct retaliation for our actions, particularly after Peter M. Vito lost his nomination for U.S. Marshal.
Part of this retaliation included Peter Vito going door-to-door in our neighborhood, spreading false and defamatory claims. Among these, he stated that I was associated with the “sovereign citizen” movement—an organization the FBI classifies as a domestic terrorist group. This accusation is entirely false and appears to be a deliberate attempt to discredit me and intimidate my family. A video of Peter M. Vito making this statement is included below. The terrorist claim occurs at the 1:24 mark.
After exposing that Peter Vito & Associates’ private detectives were in fact active U.S. Border Patrol agents, another disturbing incident occurred—this time involving Peter Vito’s family. On April 27, 2019, an unknown female—later identified as Lisa Vito—was witnessed driving past Christina’s home multiple times. During these drive-bys, she found it appropriate to repeatedly give Christina the middle finger.
Initially, Lisa Vito falsely claimed to be Christina’s neighbor, which is provably untrue. She later contradicted herself by claiming she didn’t even know who Christina was. A formal report documenting this incident and identifying Lisa Vito is included below.
One particularly troubling detail in the report: a name appears redacted next to Lisa Vito’s. Whose name is being concealed? Who is being protected—and why? Is this individual a federal agent?
This pattern of behavior, combined with government affiliations and inconsistencies in official documents, raises serious questions about abuse of power, improper conduct, and cover-up involving both public and private actors.