The FBI were going up on the telephone of a low-level bookie Francis McIntyre not because they were investigating him but because they were hell-bent on getting Massachusetts State Trooper John Naimovich who had been working organized crime for most of his 23 year career.
Here’s where the plot thickens. No one can explain why they had targeted Naimovich – or perhaps I should say – no one can say why they were continuing to target Naimovich. Let me be a little more precise, no one can say why AUSA Jeremiah O’Sullivan, the guy who gave Whitey and Stevie the pass on the Race Fixing Case and had the secret meeting with Whitey; and the FBI’s organized crime squad that included James Ring and John Connolly and others who Kevin Weeks said took money from Whitey; and the state police unit led by Captain Matioli, which had an aggressive young trooper, who just happened to have testified just before Jimmy Katz, Tom Foley, were still chasing after Naimovich.
Tom Foley wrote a book about his life as a state trooper. He tells how excited he was when he learned the state police and the FBI were going to work together in organized crime matters. Prior to this time the state police had its own organized crime unit the Special Services Unit (SSU) which when I first met the members was headed by Sgt Charlie Henderson, who would rise to become the state police boss, and John Naimovich, among others. It also had other specialized groups such as the one that Bobby Long, who testified just before Foley, headed. The state police had limited resources but did top-notch work.
Bobby Long was the state trooper who headed the Lancaster Street investigation whose group had taken all the pictures and videos of Whitey that were introduced into evidence last week. Bobby’s group built up a case against Whitey and the Mafia guys he hung out with and got papers to install an electronic bug in the Lancaster Street Garage. He and his boss, Colonel O’Donovan, needed to get help in doing the paper work and some information on the best type of equipment to use to run the operation. They decided to go to AUSA Jeremiah O’Sullivan for assistance.
They laid out their operation to him. I suppose they showed him the pictures of all the wise guys who were at the garage and explained how they met in the office to the left as you walked into the garage. Mafia bosses Larry Zannino and Danny Angiulo among other Mafia people were there; top bookies Mel Berger, Joey Y, and Dickie O’Brien showed up; Whitey, Stevie, and other people associated with them were intimately involved with the others.
What they were putting in front of O’Sullivan was the results of an investigation that could have taken down all of the organized criminals in the Greater Boston area, the Mafia and the Winter Hill gang, and destroyed the upper levels of the gambling enterprises. O’Sullivan listened patiently to them, made suggestions as to how they could proceed, and inwardly felt enormous apprehension.
What he didn’t tell them as they proceeded to show him fact after fact was that he had spent a year investigating the same Mafia group with the FBI’s organized crime unit. He also was planning to do electronic bugs against Larry Zannino and the Angiulos. He didn’t want Whitey and Stevie caught up in a state investigation since he knew they were FBI informants. Nor did he tell them if they succeeded he very well would have lost his job.
You see at that time the Mafia was the FBI’s number one target in the US. Also, O’Sullivan and the Boston FBI had been keeping the upper level poohbahs in DC informed of their progress and their investigation was considered one of the top investigations in the country. If this rag-tag group of state cops got to take down all those folks then all the FBI efforts would have gone to naught. Most importantly, the FBI would have been embarrassed, and as the title to my book says, you Don’t Embarrass The Family.” It’s a cardinal sin and the consequences can be quite awful.
A state police success would destroy the FBI’s relationship with Whitey and Stevie Flemmi. More fundamentally, this would be an unmitigated disaster for O’Sullivan. He knew the wrath of the FBI, which he testified before Congress he feared, would come down on him like a diesel locomotive.
Bobby Long’s group went to a superior court judge named Bob Barton, as good and tough of a judge as has sat on that bench. They gave him the paper work. He read it over. Approved the installation of the electronic bug but no sooner was it installed than the investigation was compromised.
Good summary Jon. I believe the guy you were referring to was Gordon O’Brien. He had quite a few dealings in Taunton and was with Salemme, and that New Bedford group. Although your correct in calling them small (in literal members), Mello was greatly feared and caused quite a stir around New Bedford/Fall River area. He hooked up with Salemme while serving time at Walpole and was part of the Salemme “non Italian” honor guard along with others such as Richie Devlin and Richie Gillis who Salemme also met in Walpole. Devlin and Gillis were true “Walpole Warriors” and were very, very dangerous. If I’m not mistaken Devlin was somehow involved in the murder of Albert DeSalvo in Walpole. From what I remember it was a beef over the drug dealing enterprise at Walpole.
Great blog, first time reading it.
I have to commend the owner of the blog regarding current Southie conditions (regarding Nee and Charlie etc..). I’m also interested in how any of this info recently mentioned could effect Nee in regards to being “in the the back seat with the mask”. Also VERY interested in how this opens up Howie Winter. Although Marorano’s deal was structured to shield Winter, Martorano and Flemmi testified to him being involved in many, many murders. I was shocked to see Flemmi openly testify Winter was the shooter in the Sammy Lindenbaum and Stevie Hughes murder. Although I’d heard that many times in the past, this the first time this murder was openly attributed to Winter.
Keep up the good work guys!
Matt
I think I’m probably getting ahead of your narrative re Trooper Naimovich but will you be dealing in detail with Foley’s account in his book of this affair?
JHG:
I’ll definitey deal with it since it is most amazing in the context of what happened.
Looking forward to it
Jon – no need to correct you , your information I believe is damn good and valid. Only reason I know is that crew terrorized Fall river and New Bedford. There is an article about a cop named David Lafleur I think it was? giving the crew very serious information. He was later acquitted but I would bet my last dollar he was very guilty. google it for more details
Neal,
This is my understanding on Salemme. In the late 80s, there was a war that erupted between the Boston and Providence factions of NELCN for control of the NELCN. The Boston faction was led by JR Russo, Bobby Carrozzo, Vinny Ferrara. The Providence faction was run by Salemme. Yes, Salemme is a Boston guy, but it was Junior Patriarca that got him made and Salemme was in frequent contract with Junior, in fact warning him not to attend the Medford ceremony in October 1989, at least according to an FBI report you can find here: http://interactives.wpri.com/photomojo/gallery/7137/140190/inside-the-mafia-bulgers-ri-ties/raymond-patriarca-jr/#
These files at WPRI also reveal information that Salemme steered clear of the North End crew and was plotting to take over LCN once JR Russo and his crew went to jail after being indicted with Junior in 1990. However, before he took over, Junior abdicated sometime in late 1989 or early 1990, when he was in tears before JR Russo or one of that crew who said he needed to step down or be killed. In fact, it has to be the case that one of the NY families, probably Gotti, who interceded and requested that Junior step down. Then Nicky Bianco took over, but he got wrapped up in the 1990 indictment with Junior and Russo and those guys. So he was in charge for about a year, but once Bianco and Junior and Russo and Carrozzo and Ferrara were out of the picture, the power vacuum was filled by Salemme, whose main deputy in Rhode Island was Robert Deluca. However, that wasn’t the end of the story as the power struggle continued with deputies of the Russo faction battling it out on the streets with deputies of the Salemme faction. You can read about that history here: http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_9-11-00.html.
So Salemme took over in 1991 or 1992 and held the reigns until the 1995 indictment, though Russo and his gang still had contacts on the outside that tried to undermine his authority, leading to the death of guys like Kevin Hanrahan (at least I believe Hanrahan’s death was part of that war).
Though Salemme is from Boston, and he ran NELCN from Boston, I say Salemme was head of the Providence faction only in the sense that he was close to Junior and Bobby Deluca and that little crew of Tim Mello, Hanrahan, and (I believe the name is, but Doubting Thomas can correct me) O Brien that was caught trying to kidnap Blaise Marfeo who ran a club on the East Side of Providence.
Matt- I was just curious how long have you been invested in this saga? I also want to really extend a sincere THANKS for allowing us to be part of your day to day investigations of the trial. Many people do not want to share or help a young person like myself to understand the truth. That’s all we want is truth, I also admire your style in correcting people with information they may have misinterpreted, You are a patient professor in the teachings of this PURE EVIL. sidenote– It was about 2 am early Sunday flipping through the television all of a sudden Howie Carr appears on a commercial to sell HAIRPLUGS..how pathetic. I guess that untold story of the rifleman is not selling how he had hoped. From the looks of his fat face and his bra size he might want to consider Weightwatchers
Dougting:
Thanks for the nice words. What’s going on affects you young guys much more than me other than I’d like to see my grand kids grow up an a peaceful America that has not been turned into a police state with the government operating beyond the ken of the people. It isn’t suppose to be like this in a democracy. You can’t make decisions unless you now what is going on.
I’ve seen Howie and I’ll tell you one thing, that process he is going though looks painful. The man seemed to be in real agony – he acted like he had taken a bottle of pain killers and they didn’t take effect. I’m sure he didn’t tell about that aspect of the procedure. And, you are right he might want to shed a few pounds rather than putting on a few hairs.
Neal,
This is my understanding on Salemme. In the late 80s, there was a war that erupted between the Boston and Providence factions of NELCN for control of the NELCN. The Boston faction was led by JR Russo, Bobby Carrozzo, Vinny Ferrara. The Providence faction was run by Salemme. Yes, Salemme is a Boston guy, but it was Junior Patriarca that got him made and Salemme was in frequent contract with Junior, in fact warning him not to attend the Medford ceremony in October 1989, at least according to an FBI report you can find here: http://interactives.wpri.com/photomojo/gallery/7137/140190/inside-the-mafia-bulgers-ri-ties/raymond-patriarca-jr/#
These files at WPRI also reveal information that Salemme steered clear of the North End crew and was plotting to take over LCN once JR Russo and his crew went to jail after being indicted with Junior in 1990. However, before he took over, Junior abdicated sometime in late 1989 or early 1990, when he was in tears before JR Russo or one of that crew who said he needed to step down or be killed. In fact, it has to be the case that one of the NY families, probably Gotti, who interceded and requested that Junior step down. Then Nicky Bianco took over, but he got wrapped up in the 1990 indictment with Junior and Russo and those guys. So he was in charge for about a year, but once Bianco and Junior and Russo and Carrozzo and Ferrara were out of the picture, the power vacuum was filled by Salemme, whose main deputy in Rhode Island was Robert Deluca. However, that wasn’t the end of the story as the power struggle continued with deputies of the Russo faction battling it out on the streets with deputies of the Salemme faction. You can read about that history here: http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_9-11-00.html.
So Salemme took over in 1991 or 1992 and held the reigns until the 1995 indictment, though Russo and his gang still had contacts on the outside that tried to undermine his authority, leading to the death of guys like Kevin Hanrahan (at least I believe Hanrahan’s death was part of that war).
Though Salemme is from Boston, and he ran NELCN from Boston, I say Salemme was head of the Providence faction only in the sense that he was close to Junior and Bobby Deluca and that little crew of Tim Mello, Hanrahan, and (I believe the name is, but Doubting Thomas can correct me) O Brien that was caught trying to kidnap Blaise Marfeo who ran a club on the East Side of Providence.
JON:
I haven’t figured out my web sight totally. Most of your posts go right through but then I see that some get put in the waiting list until I approve it. I don’t know how it happens and my skill level will not let me find out.
I see you posted the same thing twice to Neal. I’ll take the redundant one down.
Nice post on Billy Bulger today. You put things in great perspective. I tweeted it and I’ll do my own post on it tomorrow and will mention your take.
No problem. I came back to the site for updates and realized my post was still waiting moderation and thought maybe I should close my browser and try again. Who knows?
Anyway, you might have the wrong Jon because I don’t remember posting on Billy Bulger. I’ve seen another “John” on here so perhaps him?
I think Matt intended this for Jay, whose blog is linked here over on the right margin. Interesting reading, I agree with Jay’s latest post.
Pam:
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Running between the blog and mowing and trimming hedges gets a little hectic at time.
Jon:
Sorry, my mistake about Billy Bulger.
Just don’t want to take credit when it’s not deserved.
Don’t feel bad Matt. I don’t even know how to start a site and I hear its relatively simple.
You’re doing fine. Worry about the yard work before the site. LOL
Question:
Just got in from mowing – thanks for the encouragement.
Naimovich was targeted for the same reason Rico and Connolly were targeted. Those three were the most effective cops in New England against the Mafia. Naimovich caught and imprisoned Martorano. Rico and Connolly caught Patriacha and the Anguillos. Schneiderham obviously orchestrated the targeting of Naimovich. He was able to convince Matioli and all the State Police ( save Lowell) of Naimovich’s culpability. O’Sullivan didn’t pick Naimovich’s name out of a hat. The State Police brought him to the Feds attention. The State Police betrayal of it’s best crimefighter was institutional groupthink. 2. How was Schneideham able to get such a sensitive position? Who were the A.G’s that he worked for? None of them had suspicions? Similar to Hiss and all the high level Soviet agents in FDR’s administration. Didn’t Long say Schneiderham blew Lancaster St.? If so O’Sullivan would be off the hook. 3. When does Salemmi take over as head of the Boston LCN? When does he become head of the NE Mafia? Did the headquarters of the Mafia move from the North End to Brookline? Were Salemmi, Kaufman and Flemmi running the rackets out of Brookline in the eighties? At that time Brookline was the Silicon Valley of finance ( Redstone and Kraft) politics ( Dukakis)bookmaking ( Katz and Kranz) ad OC ( Salemmi, Kaufman and Flemmi). Southie was a minor outpost. WB’s writ didn’t even run the five miles from Carson Beach to Coolidge Corner. McDemott’s photos confirm that. 4. Isn’t it imperative for Carney to show that Gucci and his brother got their start as hitmen for the LCN ? That Flemmi and Salemmi started out as LCN killers ( Fitzgerald bombing). That Winter Hill took orders from the North End and that WB is a small local actor? He didn’t control the heroin trade from Sicily. He had no control over Ny, L.A. , Vegas, Chicago or Miami unlike LCN. No control or influence over Springfield or Providence. Couldn’t even effect Brookline. As a gangster he is fundamentally a creation of an a news starved media and a convenient diversion and scapegoat for the Mafia.4. Should the defense summons Kraft and Dukakis to explain what was going on in Brookline? Inquiring minds want to know.
N:
1. You keep getting the targeting of Naimovich all wrong. You want to blame the state police when it came from the FBI. James Ring first brought the state police in because he was concerned about a leak from the FBI office. He had Foley tell him who he had shown a report to and he said it was Naimovich. It was the FBI unity that John Connolly worked in, he was good friends with Ring, who went after Naimovich. You are not helping us find the truth by trying to cut Connolly and the FBI out of this and putting it on Schneiderhan or some state cops. Even after Ring discovered Naimovich was not responsible for the leak the FBI continued the investigation.The state police did not bring him to the FBI’s attention. I was working with him at the time the investigation went on. I spoke to O’Sullivan right after he was arrested.
2. Schneiderhan had a chance to fill pretty much a nothing position and made it into something. The AG or the first assistant AG would not have interacted with him. The head of the criminal division would have done that. Long doesn’t know who gave up Lancaster Street. He never said so back at the time and is just coming along with the federal story. Lancaster street was compromised by O’Sullivan. If Schneiderhan gave it up how did Morris of the FBI know about it at the same time as the wise guys and why did Morris lie about how he knew.
3. Salemme takes over in 1990 or so. Salemme was in prison until 1978. When you say Kaufman and Flemmi you have to add Whitey. Katz was not Brookline nor ws Krantz, they were mostly Newton and South Shore. Why are you trying to give Whitey Bulger a pass in this? Of course he and Stevie were together and running the rackets – that McDermott didn’t see him in Brookline means nothing in reality. I just pointed it out as an error on Wyshak’s part. I didn’t think we’d fall for it.
4. Carney already had his chance at Hitman – he didn’t use anything from his book to contradict him, I’m still trying to figure out why. His chance to show he was a hitman for Angiulo has pretty much passed, I would have stuck that down Martorno’s throat. I would have shown the meeting between Aniulo was between John Martorano and Howie Winter and they met several times as he said in his book and got money for it. Of course Carney has to make Whitey look small but he’s already made him look big. He’s a big gambler and drug dealer he said in his opening. I don’t see it helping Whitey if Winter Hill took orders from the Mafia — Whitey and Stevie are pretty closely linked together with Winter Hill – it’s true Whitey was only a Boston actor but he’s charged with 19 murders – what the Mafia did in the rest of America doesn’t help that – you have to recognize that Whitey doesn’t want to be a small nobody – he wants to go out remembered as a Mr. Big – that’s probably Carney’s problem – also remember the idea Whitey helped take down the Mafia as an informant is also out the window for Carney to argue since Whitey wasn’t, according to him, an informant.
Matt, one criticism: Opposing viewpoints are helping all of us get closer to the truth. I believe James Ring and John Connolly were good, honest cops operating under a corrupt regime. There may be some truth in our slightly differing versions of events. My view is mostly from outside the criminal justice system; others from the defense perspective; others from the prosecution/government, others from federal/state/local. I find myself in full accord with some like Patty and N. whom you offer cogent rebuttals of, but not necessarily compellingly outcome determinative arguments, from my viewpoint.
William:
How can there possibly be opposing views to what I believe. I’m shocked! I thought I was the font of all knowlege. 🙂
You’re right . People are supposed to have diffent views. I’d expect you to be in accord with people who have the same view point as yourself – we’re not so interested in coming to a similar conclusion since we never will but to give our side of the story and examine the other side and perhaps some light will flow into the darkness.