Whitey Bulger Found Guilty of Racketeering, Involvement in Murders after 16 Years on the Lam; Bulger `Pleased’ The Verdict Exposes Government Corruption

Whitey Bulger was found guilty of racketeering and murder. A jury found the Boston mob boss guilty 31 out of 32 charges. Whitey Bulger was also found guilty of 11 murders. James “Whitey” Bulger was charged with 19 murders. The mob boss took it on the lam 16 years ago. Bulger will be sentenced on November 13. Prosecutors argued he should be sentenced sooner. He faces life in prison.

After a lengthy trial and five days of deliberations, a jury also convicted James 'Whitey' Bulger's of racketeering, narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The jury said the federal prosecutors didn’t prove that Bulger killed or ordered the killings of eight of the people he was charged with. Defense attorneys argued that Bulger did not kill two women who were among the 19 victims, Debbie Davis and Deborah Hussey. The 83-year-old mob boss showed no emotion when the verdict was read. Bulger’s lawyers said the mob boss was “pleased” by the verdict.

Whitey Bulger rose to power with the help of corrupt Boston FBI agents in Boston. A lot of the testimony against the mob boss came from admitted underworld figures, including hitmen, bookies and extortionists. Defense lawyer Jay Carney said said their testimony was elicited by "obscene deals made with certain witnesses." Jurors heard from 63 government witnesses during the five week trial. Serial killers like Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and hitman John Martorano testified against Bulger.

Defense lawyer Jay Carney said Bulger knew as soon as he was arrested that he would die (in prison) or on a gurney" with a lethal injection as a condemned killer.” The lawyer continued that Bulger was "pleased by the outcome. It was important to him that the government corruption be exposed and important to him that people see the deals the government was able to make with certain people." Carney said that Bulger would appeal his verdict.

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said "Today is a day many in [Boston] thought would never come. So many people's lives were so terribly harmed by the criminal actions of Bulger and his crew, and today's conviction does not alter that harm, and it doesn't lessen it. However, we hope that [the victims] find some degree of comfort in the fact that today has come and Bulger is being held accountable for his horrific crimes."

Whitey Bulger, who is alleged to have been the leader of Boston's Winter Hill Gang during the 1970s and '80s, fled Boston in 1994 and spent 16 years on the run. Bulger had been indicted in 1994, but he fled prosecution after his corrupt FBI handler John Connolly tipped him off to his pending arrest. He was one of the most wanted fugitives in the U.S. Bulger was caught in Santa Monica, Calif. in 2011. According to testimony from an arresting FBI agent federal investigators were led by Bulger to a stash of 30 weapons and $822,000 in cash by the accused mobster after his arrest. Prosecutors allege that Bulger had been an FBI informant and that he was protected by corrupt agents between 1975 and 1990.

Federal prosecutor Brian Kelly said "There are no sentencing guidelines needed here. He will be in for life.''

by Tony Sokol