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A RETIRED STATE police colonel identified weapons found hidden in locations connected to James “Whitey” Bulger as prosecutors at Bulger’s racketeering trial showed jurors photos and videos of organized crime figures Bulger associated with and an arsenal of guns authorities say his gang used.
Retired state police Colonel Thomas Foley identified weapons found during a 2000 investigation, including some in a shed behind a South Boston home owned by the mother of Bulger’s partner, Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi. When investigators searched the shed, they found just one handgun, but later, Flemmi’s son led them to a house in Somerville and a storage facility in Florida where investigators say the guns had been moved.
Foley methodically identified dozens of guns through photographs. But prosecutor Fred Wyshak pulled out six machine guns, one at a time, so jurors could see for themselves the kind of firepower Bulger’s gang had at its disposal.
Foley also testified that the gang collected fees known as “rent” or “tribute” from bookmakers, drug dealers and others to allow them to operate within their territory. When Wyshak asked what the consequences were for not paying, Foley said, “Well, it could range from being put out of business to taking a beating, or actually at times, some people were killed.”
A couple walks past an FBI video looking for mob boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger on display in New York’s Times Square 23 June 2011. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, is charged with a long list of crimes in a 32-count racketeering indictment, including participating in 19 killings in the 1970s and 1980s. He was one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives after he fled Boston in 1994.
Bulger, now 83, was captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
Foley’s testimony came after another retired state police officer, Lt. Robert Long, identified Bulger on several surveillance videos from 1980. The videos showed Bulger meeting with members of his gang, as well as assorted members of the Italian Mafia.
During cross-examination by Bulger’s lawyer, Hank Brennan, Foley acknowledged that none of the weapons were found in Bulger’s house and neither his fingerprints nor DNA were found on any of them.
Bulger’s lead attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., conceded during opening statements Wednesday that Bulger corrupted FBI agents by paying them to tip him off about search warrants, bugs and indictments, but said Bulger was never an FBI informant, as prosecutors maintain.
Prosecutor Brian Kelly said Bulger made millions through drugs, extortion and loan-sharking by instilling fear in drug dealers, bookies and others. Kelly said Bulger was a long-time FBI informant who provided information on the New England Mafia, his gang’s rivals.
Carney agreed with the prosecutor’s description of how Bulger made his money, but insisted he was never an FBI informant and denied that he killed two 26-year-old women he is accused of strangling or businessmen in Florida and Oklahoma.
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Gangster… Hero… Legend
You forgot to add murderer!
I used to live just off winter hill.. Hes still a legend over there..
Will go down in history as an infamous Irish mobster up there with the Italian ones like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano
Don’t forget Tommy two-times
“Im gunna go get the papers, get da papers” hahahahaa some man
Ever hear of Jimmy Coogan? ran the Irish Mob in Hell’s Kitchen in the late 70′s- early 80′s.. he was a bad man. The Mafia were wary of him, mostly because of his recklessness more than anything.. The Irish produced some amount of fairly mad gangsters for America, for the size of us..
haven’t heard of him, do you mean Jimmy Coonan from the Irish Westies gang in Hells Kitchen? ya we seemed to produce a lot, and apparently a Scorsese is producing a new movie with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino called The Irishman about the true story of Frank Sheeran a hitman for the Bufalino crime family.
Aaron spot on, meant Coonan..
Another Irish ‘Republican’ hero. ‘When Bulger was recruited as an FBI informant, he did so on the condition that his links to the IRA and gun running would not be investigated, according to authors Cullen and Murphy’ Irish Examiner 8/6/13.
His story would make one hell of a film!
Martin Scorsese i hope your taking notes!
Jack Nicholson’s character in The Departed is based on him
The departed was based on him
Sarcasm is a word many have yet to encounter it would appear, to the two above posters (and all the people that clicked like) look it up in a dictionary.
You should look up the word douche bag
I’m soooooo deeply offended, with a slag like that your blatantly a yank. Embarrassing stuff.
I merely pointed out the facts, deal with it.
Me a yank…couldn’t be further off the mark
@aiden @troy i know it was based on him. Im talking a true to life story from the beginning about him and the winter hill gang, there rise and fall. That is some story to be told. The things they got away with is unheard of….. Now who could play the part of Whitey Bulger???
Im thinking jack Nicholson
@ Des: Graham Norton
He was an evil vile thug… Wouldn’t wanna b him wen he meets his maker
There is no maker, only the guy in the glass!
He should get a pal to give him a few cuts,maybe he’ll get $200000 compo
Fact is he wasnt an informer the fbi just leaked that to the public so they could flush him out and try turn his gang on him.fbi=very smart
After all he is just a murderer, living off on criminal money. Nothing to be proud of. My daughter was born Irish and I sincerely hope she never ever come across this thread.
Hmmm, you should make sure of it, ban her from the Journal, do it, do it NOW!
Seriously, you should be more worried about the other ‘evils’ out there, an article like this is the least of your worries ;)
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