I’m thinking of all the guys who literally got away with murder thanks to the federal prosecutors obsession with the Bulgers. One came to mind recently. I’ll call him the Lad. I inquired about him by contacting a person who I consider the top media maven on the subject of Whitey. I asked him for an update on what was happening to the Lad. He got back to me and said from all he can tell the Lad is apparently slipping and sliding along.
Prior to having contacted the media person, I was planning to write about the Lad. I was going to suggest that it is pretty outrageous that he’s still foot loose and fancy free despite there being good and sufficient evidence to incarcerate him. We all know that he was gunning down people as a favor to Genaro Angiulo. Gerry by the way was a Navy combat veteran from WWII having served in the Pacific Theater something I never knew back when he ran the Boston Mafia office.
When I heard they were going to let the Lad slide off I got to thinking more about him. Doing that made me decide perhaps it was for the better that I hold my peace and let him spend the rest of his days on the street. That’s why I now call him the Lad. It is not that I have much sympathy for him because he was involved in several murders and never seemed to get over his love for committing criminal acts. It’s rather that of all of the bunch that assembled around Whitey and Winter Hill he was the only one who didn’t become a rat.
Now the Lad’s got to get some recognition for that, I’d think, especially when you see how many others could hardly wait, pushing and shoving each other to get a better place in line, to squeal on their former friends.
Of all the characters among this sordid crew, including all the Southie guys, the Lad did his crime and did his time and when offered goodies to help himself ease his plight he laughed at those who wanted him to cooperate. He is the only stand-up guy who kept his own counsel. The only one.
Kevin Weeks, or should I say Two-Weeks, could only stand jail for two weeks before he gave up Whitey; Martorano, the man who said you don’t become a rat by ratting on a rat, (he was referring to his giving the government evidence against Whitey who he believed was a rat) clearly became a rat when he gave evidence against the Lad, our stand-up guy. Whitey, assuming he wasn’t giving information to the FBI which he maintains was the case against all evidence pointing in the other direction, clearly became a rat when he turned on FBI agent John Connolly and had his attorney tell the world he paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars. I suppose ratting on someone who provided cover for you for a couple of decades puts Whitey near the top of the rat ladder. (I don’t believe that Whitey gave anywhere near that amount of money to Connolly. He is like most gangsters: cheap.)
When I talk about the Lad being the only stand-up guy I do not include women. They seem to be made of tougher stuff. Catherine Greig puts all the boys in Southie to shame when it comes to this issue. I also exclude the Angiulos and their Mafia cronies who didn’t talk.
I do include Frank Salemme, a Johnny-come-lately Boston Mafia leader, who got the leadership position when the pickings were slim. He ended up giving testimony for the government something no self-respecting old time Mafia don would have ever done. Salemme also turned on his best pal Stevie “Benji Ditchman” Flemmi who himself turned on everyone he could.
So a hat tip to the Lad and a wish that for him: May the Winter be mild; and the Summer (villes) be warm.
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Here’s another example of “Get Out of Jail” by giving the FBI something:
Hacker ‘Sabu’ released after ‘extraordinary’ FBI cooperation
http://gu.com/p/3pt2g
Henry:
I don’t have too much trouble with Sabu being released. He was too smart to put in jail so if we have him working for us (pissing out of tent) rather than against us (pissing in the tent) that’s what we want. Long ago I went to a conference in San Diego where a guy like Sabu was spoken about. He figured out a way to skim all the banks of a few pennies here and there. When he was arrested the banks pleaded with the government not to prosecute him on the condition he work with the banks to prevent others from doing what he did. Those guys in the computer field who are geniuses belong on the team and not in the enemy camp.
Matt- God almighty, i hope you aren’t referring to Lad that i think.
Doubting:
Some will have their doubts about the Lad, other won’t.
Matt, on another note. Do you know the details of the horse race fixing case? What was their plan. My understanding it involved a house in east Boston that overlooked Suffolk downs. I also heard they were doing something with the daily numbers (pre lottery)
On another note, has Howie winters resolved his current court case?
Ernie:
My understanding of the case was they were paying off the jockeys at some of the tracks up and down the northeast. Fat Tony Ciullo was the guy who did the fixing and the Winter Hill guys handled the betting end and the money to the jockeys.
There was some talk of people past-posting like in the Sting where they bet after knowing the results but I don’t believe that was part of the race fixing case but I could be wrong. That was one of the reasons put out for murdering Richard Castucci.
As for the number, who knows what the truth is; I’m sure the number that ended up in the paper could have been fixed either by the guy reporting from the track or someone at the paper setting the type but I never heard that it was. It really was too lucrative running on the level to try to tamper with.
As for Howie Winter, I’m not up to date on his extortion matter.
Interesting to speculate on who the Lad might be. But what about Connolly? Now there is a man upon whom tremendous pressure was exerted to try to get him to rat—against fellow FBI agents and against his childhood pal, Billy Bulger. You may be one of the few knowledgeable writers on the subject who has seen through the scapegoating of former FBI agent John Connolly. I also wonder whom you consider the “top media maven on Whitey.” Cheers, Richard Stratton
Richard:
I answer your question about John Connolly in a post that I have scheduled. I’m glad you picked up on it since it reaffirms my decision to talk about him. I suggest he’s not a stand-up guy but before you blow your top read why tomorrow.
As to my contact in the media on Whitey, best let sleeping dogs lie.