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The verdict came in on August 12, 2013 for the trial of James “Whitey” Bulger. He was found guilty of 11 homicides from the 1970s and 1980s as well as racketeering and various other crimes such as gun possession. The trial had spanned a massive 41 days.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act) allowed someone to be charged with racketeering, which is a catchall phrase for many numerous activities listed within the Act, such as “any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, etc.” RICO Act 18 USC § 1961 (1). The prosecution claimed that Bulger was protected from corrupt FBI agents and was an informant himself. Bulger has denied the allegation. However, Bulger is content knowing that the government corruption has come out. Reportedly from the 1960s through the 1980s, Bulger was a mob boss that would bribe corrupt law enforcement officials to look the other way when he was on a crime spree. Bulger had initially fled from the Boston area in 1994 and became one of the nation’s most sought after fugitives until he was found in 2011 in California. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 3, where Bulger could be eligible with life in prison. |