James “Whitey” Bulger Found Guilty on 31 of 32 Counts, Including Extortion, Money Laundering, Drug Dealing, Weapons Possession & Responsible for the Murder of 11 People

In the end a jury found “Whitey” Bulger guilty on 31 of 32 counts.

James “Whitey” Bulger,  the reputed and feared former head of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang evaded the law for 16 years; however, justice has finally been served. A jury today found “Whitey” Bulger guilty on 31 of 32 counts that included extortion, money laundering, drug dealing, weapons possession and responsible for the murder of 11 individuals, including a woman. However, the jury found that in 7 cases of murder the jury found that there was not enough evidence and 1 had not determination. On a personal note, I am not sure how the jury came to such a determination on the murders that Bulger was not responsible for. Every Southie knows exactly who was responsible for the murders. Whitely Bulger, the head of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, was a heinous individuals and should never have been provided the befit of the doubt. This mob POS actually killed women.  In the end, the 83 year old Bulger will be spending the rest of his life in prison.

The turn of events was capped Monday when a federal jury found the former mob boss guilty on 31 of 32 counts — including extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and weapons possession. The jury held Bulger responsible for the murder of 11 people.

The 83-year-old Bulger faces a maximum sentence of up to life, plus 30 years in prison.

“So many peoples’ 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,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, speaking about the victims and their families.

“However, we hope that they find some degree of comfort in the fact that today has come, and Bulger is being held accountable for his horrific crimes,” she said.

Bulger was accused of involvement in killing 19 people, including two women.

In the end Whitey Bulger’s legacy will not be of Robin Hood, but of a cold hearted, extorting killer. Far from benevolent, Bulger was a viscous individual who terrorized South Boston.  Thankfully, justice has been served.

For years, Bulger was seen as a Robin Hood figure who benevolently ruled his “Southie” neighborhood, a man whose younger brother Bill took another path out of the housing projects and became the president of the Massachusetts Senate and of the University of Massachusetts.

Bulger was the basis for Jack Nicholson’s sinister crime boss in the 2006 Martin Scorsese film “The Departed.” His high-profile trial forced Boston, a city that has diversified as it gentrified, to confront that darker history, written by Bulger and other mobsters who not only bribed police but trafficked in drugs, molested and strangled women and dumped their bodies.

For weeks, locals have lined up before dawn to claim seats inside the courtroom, where larger-than-life mob witnesses brought the past alive, including Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi, who pulled victims’ teeth so they couldn’t be identified; John “The Enforcer” Martorano, a Bulger hit man who claimed to have killed at least 20 people; and Patrick Nee, a rival Irish gang member who wrote a book about mob life.

Bulger delighted in seeing government corruption paraded before the court, his attorneys said after the verdict.

“It was important to him that the government corruption be exposed and that people be able to see the deals that the government made,” attorney J.W. Carney Jr. said.

It also appeared important to Bulger to defend his reputation against allegations that he killed women and snitched.

Bulger had been charged with 33 criminal acts, including 19 murders during the 1970s and ’80s when he led the Winter Hill Gang, part of Boston’s Irish mob. After more than four days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty of nearly all the crimes and 11 of the murders, including  that of 26-year-old Deborah Hussey.

One Response to “James “Whitey” Bulger Found Guilty on 31 of 32 Counts, Including Extortion, Money Laundering, Drug Dealing, Weapons Possession & Responsible for the Murder of 11 People”

1. Boston Gangster James “Whitey” Bulger Sentenced to Two Life Sentences Plus 5 Years in Prison | Scared Monkeys on November 14th, 2013 9:23 pm

   [...] 2 life sentences, those extra 5 years just put the cherry on the sundae. The 84 year old Bulger was convicted earlier this year of charges that he participated in 11 murders, drug trafficking, racketeering, money laundering, [...]

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