John Naimovich – An Insight Into The Whitey Bulger Case: Part 4

(This is being published each Sunday in serial form. For full view of past postings go here. I noted in that summary post that “The reason this story is so important to understanding the Whitey Bulger case is that it shows the whole C – 3 organized crime squad of the FBI, at a minimum, and members of the DOJ were so intent on protecting Whitey they would do pretty much the most outrageous thing any law enforcement organization could do which is to frame an innocent Massachusetts state police trooper to protect Whitey. They  were willing for him to do twenty years in prison to help keep their gangster on the street.” )

Before he lost his faith, back in the early days, Tom Foley kept believing the FBI agents could walk across the Charles River from Boston to Cambridge between the bridges. He admired them and trusted them implicitly. He had no reason to doubt them. They had done some pretty good things together.

Around October 1986 Foley had written out some reports on some organized crime activity involving a guy named Danny Forte who was Foley’s informant with connections to the North End. It was pretty top-secret stuff. He was the only one who knew this information.

It’s true he had given a copy of his report to his FBI partner Nick Gianturco. I’ll let Globe columnist Kevin Cullen describe him: “That would be the same Nick Gianturco who used to exchange gifts with Bulger. The same Nick Gianturco who invited Whitey to his home for dinner. The same Nick Gianturco who admitted a fondness for Bulger and credited the gangster with saving his life, a bogus claim meant to ­inflate Whitey’s value as an informant.” 

Foley in his book said (p. 51): “I was surprised that Nick had wanted to see the reports. He’d never asked for them before.”  Foley took them out of his safe in the FBI office and left them for Nick who said Washington, DC wanted them in hurry.  (Which was a lie.)

One Friday around that time he was heading home on the Turnpike and he was told to come back in to FBI Headquarters. When he got there he was ushered into a room with Supervisor Jim Ring, his captain Dave Mattioli, Nick Gianturco, and Sergeant (?) Sullivan. Nick said to him, “Sorry about this Tommy” and left the room. (Nice set up on your partner.)

Immediately Foley felt under suspicion as they began to ask him about the reports. He said,  “It was a horrible feeling.”   Ring told him Vinny Ferrara a top Mafia member had seen his report and seemed to know it “word for word.” Ring , called the “Pipe” by Whitey and an alleged recipient of some of Whitey’s gifts, said no one in the FBI leaked it so it had to be Foley.  Unless, of course, he divulged it to someone else.

Foley desperately thought. Then he remembered. He wrote: “”Yes, one other person. On Dave’s instructions” — I turned to Mattioli — “I told Trooper John Naimovich of the State Police.”  Foley said, he wrote “the attention of everyone in the room shifted a little. It  was subtle, but I could feel it move away from me.”

Foley was hooked. C-3 squad of the FBI with Connolly, Gianturco, Newton and Ring, all who were named as recipients of Whitey’s generosity had sicked him on Naimovich. Foley was so relieved he was no longer under suspicion. He gladly swallowed the bait.

He didn’t pick up the very unusual happenings that led to this point: first time Gianturco wanted to see his report; being directed to show it to only one person, Trooper Naimovich.; nor did he seem to catch on if that had he briefed Naimovich on it then there was no way Ferrarra  would know it “word for word.”

How Naimovich happened to be involved with Mattioli and Foley again seemed to be on the surface something on the level but in retrospect seems not quite what it was cut out to be. I told how the FBI wanted to take control of all the organized crime investigations in the state. In 1987 the state police decided to take the very effective and independent SSU – with which I was engaged with at the time in a wiretap on some important bookies – and combine it with another unit.  

It was placed under the command of Captain Mattioli who was working hand-in-hand with the FBI. He immediately clashed with Naimovich. Worse, he got access to the informational files and the targets we were listening to on the wiretap we were involved in at the time. We’d begun in a small local bookie office and were slowly moving up the ladder from office to office taking down some offices and letting others get a pass, hoping to confuse the wise guys. It had proven to be effective. 

You may remember Jimmy Katz who testified he was paying rent to Winter Hilll and his partner Michael Desotel, who Jimmy said was paying tribute to the North End.  You’ll also hear from Joey Yerardi who will testify how he was John Martorano’s guy.  These were the guys I was listening to on the wire. Naimovich was leading the investigation. The FBI had now decided to target Naimovich for leaking top secret stuff to Vinny Ferrara.

Prior to Mattioli being put in charge of the SSU, the information relative to whose lines we were listening to was limited to a small group of troopers under Sgt. Bob Haley in the SSU who were doing the surveillance and monitoring. Haley I had worked with before and knew he was totally trustworthy. As I said things had gone very well up to that point. But when Matioli took over he would have access to the SSU guys and their information. He planted his own guys into our operation. I assume he also passed on the identify of our targets to Ring’s C-3 unit.   

14 Comments

  1. Dear Doubting Thomas,
    My brother is still alive. But a shell of his former self.
    I was with my brother when he testified in front of Judge Reginald Lindsay. I read one FBI report concerning my brother. It stated my brother told the FBI that Brian Halloran’s killer had brown hair. That is a lie. My brother never said Brian Halloran’s killer had brown hair. Those FBI agents were working for Whitey’s gang. The FBI could easily disclose their identity. There’s no statute of limitations for accessory to murder.
    As I stated before, the two FBI agents found my brother at his girlfriend’s Dorchester apartment within 40 minutes of the Michael Donahue and Brian Halloran murders. My brother’s car was registered to our mother’s house. Nobody contacted my mother and she didn’t know the girlfriend’s address. Either the FBI agents followed my brother from the murder scene, or one of Whitey’s gang followed my brother and told the FBI.
    Whitey didn’t wear a wig. Whitey’s accomplice didn’t wear a mask. Kevin Weeks committed perjury when giving those under-oath statements. Kevin Weeks couldn’t see the Michael Donahue and Brian Halloran murders, because after Michael Donahue’s car was hit with a machine gun, it drifted in front of three buildings.
    I don’t know who killed Michael Donahue. I wasn’t there. But my brother clearly saw Whitey murder Brian Halloran. If my brother knew Whitey – if he told the FBI that Whitey murdered Brian Halloran – he would be dead.
    In 1985, the FBI asked me for criminal information. Since I lived in Southie, if I gave the FBI any criminal information – I would be dead.
    This isn’t corruption of the past, it’s happening right now.

    • That’s heavy, I am absolutely shocked by ALL of this and to hear that story has me stunned ! I am truly sorry to hear about what happened to your brother and his statement in regards to that day and those murders. Also, to hear that the Feds found him that fast with no leads or information to track him to his girlfriends house is unreal and your guess on how they did makes sense and is very possible with all the dirty feds and Boston gangsters involved. I am glad you comment on this blog. Information like that really helps to paint a better picture in order to understand as there are almost too many names involved in this tangled web of a story that was at one time happening ( and may still be ) to keep up with.

  2. You will never meet a more diligent, honest, investigator than Trooper Cerra. Nor a more forthright, stand up individual.

    John Newton, on the other hand, well, I think most of the commenters here know what he was all about. Other than the “gift” allegations, I believe he was finally forced to retire after being investigated for mailing “souvenirs” to himself from the Uni-Bombers cabin. I can’t imagine the lack of judgement and ego one would have to posses to possibly compromise a multiple murder investigation for a set of deer antlers.

    Keep posting, Bob. You are a good man and you are doing a great exposing some of the corruption/malfeasance that continues to erode the faith of many good people.

  3. To my knowledge, the “testimony” of who received money from gangters came from the wholly perjurious Flemmi and the fancy footwork deceiver, Weeks. I’m glad “alleged” was written before the name of FBI agent Ring, et al. Gianturco and others admitted, I recall, exchanging “gifts” of little value, which they contend then was not frowned upon by the FBI; it was considered a sort of “fraternization” with TEi; Ring has denied receiving anything and has stated and been quoted stating that Flemmi and others can gut anyone’s reputation with impunity and the press runs with it. If Flemmi, Weeks and Jim Bulger say Joe Blow sold heroin, “it ain’t necessarily so.” Why would Flemmi and Weeks lie: to appease Fed Prosecutors and get treated leniently; Why would Jim Bulger lie: to repair, in part, his own reputation. But remember, Jim Whitey Bulger has not testified under oath yet. What Carney said in his opening statements is not only not evidence, it may be Bulger paid Morris who was supposed to split the money with other agents, and MOrris pocketed all of it: Remember Whitey called Morris “a f’n liar” under his breath in the courtroom.

    • William:
      Morris said he had little contact with Whitey so it’s unlikely he was being given the money. You really have no evidence Bulger gave it to Morris, you would be better off claiming he didn’t give anyone money.

      You have to read Ring’s (and Connolly’s) involvement in the Naimovich case to understand that not was all on the level.

  4. Sgt. Cerra you were an honest Trooper who upheld your oath and was poofed internally by the MSP. I can see how the rehashing of events you lived through could be depressing but at least you did the right thing.

    Coincidentally SA Newton initiated the investigation and false imprisonment of Lt. Nazzaro when he uncovered the Bulger connection to the Callahan homicide. That’s if you believe in coincidence, I don’t.

    • Notaboyo:

      I should have mentioned to Robert that Lt.Newton was called Agent Orange by Whitey and was another one who was named to have received gifts.

  5. Amazing coverage and updates on this trial

  6. This is a post that is close to home for me, I was just a grunt trying to do his job and unfortunately I had contact with some of thease people and unfortunatley I worked for some gutless wonders who pretended to be Troopers.

    FBI agent John Newton was the agent I clashed with at the Boston offcie of the FBI it was he and two other agents that compromised Tpr Monahan’s investigation. Newton adnmitted this to me over the phone – he told me that the target of the investigation knew what were doing and futhermore he, Newton, told the target we were about to serve a search warrant. I asked him if the target was an informant he told me the target was a friend and an informant. This was the same scenario with Bulger, but I didn’t know it at the time. Everythuing went down hill from there. I was told by a Captain in the statye Police, my supervisor, thast the most important thing was to keep the FBI happy!

    I went back into uniform and after a couple of months I had seen Yeradi, mentioned in the post settling up in Newton. I locked him and another bookie up on the street. Two day later I was told by a supervisor on the State Police that per the Boston office of the FBI if I lock up another bookie while I was in uniform – I was going to have a problem. I told the supervisor to tell the agent to go F–k himself.

    who shows up in Newton District court to defend Yeradi, but Sal Dimasi – that is a whole other story which caused me even more problems.

    Quite honestly I am sorry that I began reading these post and commenting on this Blog.

    • Robert:

      I don’t understand why you are sorry other than they bring back bad memories. Stick with it. The Naimovich story gets better. It pretty much backs up everything you wen through. If you fell better I can always remove your comments if they are causing you problems.

    • Robert- Don’t be hesitant to continue with your treasure trove of knowledge about the corruption it is not your fault you were an honest man

  7. Matt,

    It’s probably my own issue, but I can’t pick up on the fne points of your posting. Would you be able to summarize it in a few sentences? Who in the posting set up Naimovich, Foley? Gianturco? Was it Gianturco and Foley went along? How did Ferrara get the reports?

    • Patty:

      You apparently did not have to go to the serial movies as a kid. We’d have to go through episode after episode waiting week to week to figure out what was going on. Or, we could skip the wait and come in at the last showing which was a wrap up. Your answer will come but I can’t set it out without giving the background.