Y
esterday I noted that Whitey might be in the process of making a deal with the feds. Here’s what he needs: wrap up all the federal charges with a plea to life in prison, work out a deal for a federal prison that is considered cushy, and have Oklahoma and Florida join in the deal.
Weeks said Whitey would want to avoid a trial so that he would not bring further embarrassment to his family. Whitey cares about nothing other than what’s best for Whitey and he expects, as he’s always has, to have his family come along for whatever ride he decides to take them on. If he cared about embarrassing his family he wouldn’t have led the life of crime which caused one brother to lose his job and another to lose his pension.
There’s a stronger force at work here. There is huge pressure on the US Attorney’s office to make a deal for Whitey. It comes from the judges, none want to sit on the trial of an 82 year old man that’ll take months if not a year out of the schedule. Sure it will be a little like Cirque du Soleil which is enjoyable for two to three hours but every day for weeks on end is no one’s cup of tea.
The prosecutors themselves aren’t anxious to drag themselves and their files up and down for what will seem a lifetime having to hold hands of the victims’ families, listening to J.W. Carney, and dealing with their slime ball witnesses. A deal gives them a chance to move on to other things after a clear cut win.
The greatest pressure however comes from the FBI which wants Whitey to go away both literally and figuratively. The trial will revive the great bugaboo I’ve talked about previously. The FBI has managed to make many forget it was partner’s with Whitey. It wants to keep it that way.
The FBI exercises enormous influence over the US Attorneys and strong input into the doings of the Department of Justice. It’s not supposed to be that way but the power in the DOJ waxes and wanes depending on politics; the FBI’s remains relatively stable and predictable. It is breathing heavily on the prosecutors to dump the case.
Enter J.W. Carney. He knows this. He’ll pump up the pressure. He’s already demanded Judge Stearns recuse himself. This agitates the judiciary. He’s announce Whitey has immunity because he was doing his killings as a special representative of the FBI in its war against the Mafia. Carney and Whitey know this is the way to move the ball around to get the deal.
He’s playing on the FBI’s inordinate fear of embarrassment. He pretends he’s doing it to save his family embarrassment.
All that stands in the way is the victims families. Most likely it may be only one family. The families from the Boston area have had their days going to court. Some see themselves quoted in the press. They were thrown a small bone by seeing Catherine Greig get eight years. They’ll be confused by the deal which in reality they cannot complain about – Whitey at 82 years will get all the Feds can give him, life.
The one family that counts is the Wheeler family. They can influence the Oklahoma deal. Martorano killed their father Roger Wheeler as part of Whitey’s attempt to take over the Miami Jai Alai business. Unless an end run is pulled around them or they have lost some of their clout, they can insure Whitey faces a death penalty which he deserves.
I’d like to think Florida would him to face a death penalty trial but I don’s see any countervailing influence there. After all, Florida gave Martorano 12 years and he’s the one who blew a hole in Callahan’s noggin.
It’s had to believe that Whitey has the ace cards. I hope I’m wrong in this. He doesn’t deserve to go out in luxury. His number of murders and his heinous manner of killing people as described by Weeks cries out that he be tried here, in Oklahoma, and in Florida and if still alive at the end be sent off to the former cell at ADX belonging to Timothy McVeigh. He belongs in the company of others of his ilk such as FBI Agent Robert Hanssen, Richard Reid and Ted Kacynski.