All about the murder in Whitey Bulger prison-report
2022.12.07 12:05
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All about the murder in Whitey Bulger prison-report
Budrigannews.com – The 2018 transfer of Boston mobster and former FBI informant James “Whitey” Bulger to the West Virginia prison, where he was beaten to death within a day of his arrival, was found to have been handled poorly by prison officials, according to a review conducted by the U.S. Justice Department.
In an internal report released on Wednesday, the department’s Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, stated that the federal Bureau of Prisons improperly transferred Bulger, an 89-year-old wheelchair-bound inmate with a life-threatening heart condition, to the U.S. Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia.
Before fleeing Boston and going on the run for 16 years, Bulger led a double life as a mobster and a covert FBI informant. On October 30, 2018, he was found dead in his cell, having been beaten to death less than 24 hours earlier.
In August 2013, Bulger was found guilty, among other things, of 11 murders, and he was given two consecutive life sentences plus five years.
This year, three prisoners were indicted on felony charges for his murder.
According to the report, which cites an interview with an inmate, inmates took bets on how long Bulger would survive after being transferred from a Florida prison.
It was noted that over 100 BOP employees were informed in advance of Bulger’s transfer and that staffers openly discussed the matter with inmates as if they were “talking about a football game.”
The BOP erroneously recommended downgrading Bulger’s medical condition in order to facilitate his transfer to Hazelton, despite his serious cardiac condition, and failed to conduct an intelligence assessment of the security risks Bulger could face.
The report stated, “The fact that the serious deficiencies we identified occurred in connection with a high-profile inmate such as Bulger was especially concerning given that the BOP would presumably take special care in handling such a high-profile inmate’s case.”
At least six individuals have been referred to the BOP for potential disciplinary action, despite the fact that the report did not uncover any evidence of prison staff violating federal criminal laws.
Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 55, was already serving a life sentence for the 2003 murders of associate Gary Westerman and Genovese crime family boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno.
Bulger lived as a fugitive for 16 years and evaded authorities. A tip from a former Icelandic beauty queen eventually led to his capture in Santa Monica, California.
Bulger was involved in loan sharking, gambling, extortion, drug dealing, and murder with his Irish-American Winter Hill gang in Boston for more than two decades.
Agent John J. Connolly of the FBI gave him tacit approval for his actions, turning a blind eye so that Bulger could provide information on Italian-American gangsters.
