The Martorano Affair: How’s He Earning A Living?

2013 France-3000_1989Jim wrote in yesterday asking if I had any “[t]houghts on the motion re: martorano saying he’s currently being shielded from prosecution for his current illegal activities? Any chance the govt actually ponies up the interview files they say are relevant to this

I had just downloaded the motion of Carney and Brennan (C&B) from Pacer and had not had a chance to read it when I read Jim’s question so I told him I’d comment on it today. It did get a big play in the newspapers,

Before I do I want to say something about J.W. Carney. He’s a skilled professional. I know prosecutors who have tried cases against him. I never did. He handled the defendant who was charged with killings at Brookline abortion clinics and some other high-profile cases. One thing a prosecutor who went up against him told me about him was that he was not a bomb thrower. That is, he didn’t throw things out unless he had some pretty substantial information to back it up. That made me interested in seeing exactly what he was saying.

One other thing. I have a person who comments here on occasion called Patty. Like most of the people who comment here I do not know who she is nor do I care to know. I value the anonymity of the Internet because it allows people to speak out who otherwise might remain silent. I’ve been fortunate since the people who comment here do so in a thoughtful manner for the most part; I don’t have people on here interested in posting nonsensical comments. I’ve learned much from them and they help me refine my thinking and keep me in line and jump on me when they think I’m going astray.

Patty has been posting for a while. Early on she suggested Martorano and Nee were still engaged in criminal activities. She continued to mention this off and on. The last time she suggested that Martorano was doing his stuff up on the North Shore.

C&B are alleging that the state police have been protecting John Martorano. This would be taking a page out of the FBI book of protecting its top echelon informants. It’s something John Connolly was sent to prison for doing. C&B want to know what the feds know about this.

I’ve pointed out before that one of the problems prosecutors get into when making deals with career criminals for their testimony, such as Martorano and Weeks, and then let them go back on the street is that they’ll revert to their life of crime. When they do, the prosecutors have to shut their eyes to it because the criminal is a member of their team. They cannot do anything about it because to arrest him would be to cause his usefulness as a witness to be destroyed. The irony is the prosecutors put themselves in the same position as people they have prosecuted, that it, they protect people committing crimes.

A clear example of this is John Morris the corrupt FBI agent. He will be used in this case and he was used in the case against John Connolly. Morris was thoroughly debriefed over and over by the prosecutors who asked him to tell him about all the negative things he did as an FBI agent. He told of taking bribes from Whitey but left it that was the only instance he took anything. Just before the Connolly trial the prosecutors learned Morris’s wife was going to be called to testify by Connolly. The purpose of her testimony was to reveal that Morris indeed had been receiving money and gifts from a person identified as Sammy Berkowitz. Morris then admitted it. Yet even though he deceived them, the prosecutors still had to vouch for him because he was a critical witness.

C&B have alleged they have information “that Martorano has continued his criminal activity since his 2007 release from federal prison. . . . that AUSA Herbert received a letter from a member of the Massachusetts State Police indicating that Martorano’s handlers in the State Police have been shielding him from investigation into his criminal activities.” In court yesterday an emotional Fred Wyshak denied the allegations and said the state police officer who wrote the letter making the complaint was the culprit and he recanted after being investigated by the state police.  

Does it end there? Why did he write the letter in the first place? There’s much to know. Will we learn more? Or, does Wyshak’s “voice cracking and tears forming in his eyes” forbid further inquiry into the matter?

Imagine if that is true. Remember Howie Carr and Martorano have written a book called “Hitman” where Martorano brags about shooting people in the back of the head. At the end of the book he says, “I’m back.” I always wondered what he meant by that. I didn’t feel particularly comforted knowing that this guy with 20 murders is back on the street.  Now to hear some suggest he is being protected is a little frightening.

I told how the cops in court laughed when Martorano cracked jokes during his testimony thoroughly enjoying this vile man’s act. I hope their friendship with this murderer is not putting us all at risk. John Connolly protected Whitey but it has never been shown he knew he murdered anyone; here it is alleged the state police are protecting a man who they know murdered 20 people. I hate to think we have reached that low in our society that a man who at a minimum should be in prison for life is being protected by the cops because he will be used as a witness.

C&B note the prosecutors have turned over three witness interview reports indicating Martorano is involved in illegal activities.  These reports we are told are lacking “any information that led to the interview nor any information detailing the complaints, the illegal crimes, or the information about the alleged crimes committed.”

To answer Jim’s question nothing ever set right with me about this case. Murderers who are dangerous to society walking the street; an FBI agent doing the job he was asked him to do convicted of murder; prosecution witnesses who are admitted perjurers; a defendant who is partner with one of the most evil men in Boston’s history, Stevie Flemmi; cops befriending murderers; an FBI that never stopped doing what it pledged it would never do again; an FBI that covers-up just about everything; a defendant who may be the equal to his partner; to mention a few things.

Will Judge Casper require the government to produce the discovery C&B wants; I have no clue but if she doesn’t it’s not a good sign.

 

16 Comments

  1. Thanks in advance

  2. Where is Jimmy Martorano now?

  3. my brother was a victim of bulger and martorano. his name was Louis Lapiana and he was in the car that bulger and martorano killed michael milano and im interested in receiving any information on the rial of bulger

    • Michael:

      I already suggested to you that you can get what you want here. There is also extensive coverage in the other Boston media outlets. If you have any questions, you can ask me and I’ll try to get you the answer.

  4. Am I understanding this correctly’ A trooper who is telling the truth about other MSP protecting Martorano is now a target from his own for doing his job? Or is he now a DOJ target? Sad if true.

    http://www.myfoxboston.com/video?clipId=8970007&autostart=true

    • Yes, it is sad. Of course it was merely stated that the trooper couldn’t substantiate his claim not that it wasn’t true. I’m sure if given the chance, the trooper could very well substantiate his assertions.

      • Thanks Jan, but who is targeting him now? MSP or DOJ? I just read that Martorano is from Quincy! Interesting.

        • There’s a nice Mexican restaurant in Milford that the the family of the former owners of the old harborlights (Venezia) in the port own.

          • Jan:

            The Venezia was a notorious place. I wonder what type of Mexican food is being served there. The chief there is Thomas O’Laughlin who was telling the Herald what a good guy Martorano is. http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/06/milford_cop_ex_hit_man_as_quiet_as_he_can_be

            “Ex-Winter Hill Gang hit man John Martorano — who James “Whitey” Bulger claims is rekindling his criminal career with protection from state police — is living like a squeaky-clean suburbanite whose only recent brush with the law was a $20 traffic ticket, according to the cop chief in the confessed killer’s ­adopted hometown.

            “He’s been as quiet as he can be,” Milford ­police chief Tom O’Loughlin told the Herald yesterday. “When he sees the cops, he talks to them. We know him, he knows us.
            The only thing we ever heard from him was, he was in a minor motor vehicle accident. The officer determined he was at fault, so he gave him a citation for failure to slow down properly to avoid an accident,” O’Loughlin said. “It’s about as minor as you can get. I think it’s a $20 fine.”

        • Question:

          In court today Wyshak said the state police are part of the prosecution team. Martorano grew up in Quincy/Roxbury/South End and is now living in Milford.

  5. Jan: Thanks for the correction as to Martarano’s non-veteran status. I was thinking of Stevie Flemmi, of course.

    HB

    • HB, yes, I wonder if Flemmi is allowed to collect any veterans disability or pension while imprisoned – if so, it should be mandated that he donate it to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center on behalf of his step-daughter that he was sexually abusing since she was a kid. Disgusting fellow that Flemmi was/is. I have more sympathy for the step-daughter he abused and murdered than most of the fellow thugs that were killed.
      Flemmi is a lot worse and MacKenzie too, the serial rapist of innocent little girls than the hit man Martarano and MacKenzie has been allowed informant staus and to roam free, raping, pillaging, stalking and terrorizing innocent girls and women for years….just horrible, too bad Martarano hadn’t knocked these two rapists off, would of done us all a world of good.

  6. Mtc – who are Brian Burke and Robert Maher (Mahar) that are on the witness list?

    btw, Martarano is not a veteran.

  7. I don’t know what the MSP have been up to with Martorano but if there is anything improper going on it needs to be disclosed.

    I think you are wrong re Connolly not knowing Bulger was killing people. Connolly was duly convicted and remains in prison for a murder he was involved in with Bulger.

  8. Knowing how these people manipulate the system, there’s a very good possibility that John Martorano is receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income.) He would qualify under federal guidelines because he is: a) over 65 b) low income and c) disabled. He could receive SSI and still continue with his illegal activities.

    For all we know, he may qualify for regular Social Security.

    He would also qualify for a Veteran’s Pension. (http://benefits.va.gov/PENSIONANDFIDUCIARY/pension/rates.asp)

    There is very good likelihood of a federal check deposited in his bank each month.