FBI let innocents get death sentences (to protect mafia links): report

smh.com.au ^ | November 22, 2003 | Fox Butterfield

[Destro]

FBI let innocents get death sentences: report

By Fox Butterfield

November 22, 2003

The FBI used murderers as informants in Boston for three decades, even allowing innocent men to be sentenced to death to protect the secret operation, a government report has found.

The FBI's policy "must be considered one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement" and had "disastrous consequences", the report by the House Committee on Government Reform said.

More than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants in Boston from 1965, often with the help of FBI agents, it said.

But no FBI agent or official has ever been disciplined, the report said.

Separately, it said that William Bulger, then the president of the University of Massachusetts, gave "inconsistent" testimony to the committee last June about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive gangster brother, James Bulger, who is on the bureau's most wanted list.

James Bulger, known as Whitey, headed an underworld gang in Boston and was one of the FBI's star informants before he fled in 1995 after being tipped off by a bureau agent that there was a secret indictment against him.

While critical of Mr Bulger, the report stopped short of saying he had committed perjury.

Mr Bulger's lawyer, Thomas Kiley, said the committee's findings were "a total vindication on everything that matters" for his client.

The bureau, in a written statement, said: "While the FBI recognises there have been instances of misconduct by a few FBI employees, it also recognises the importance of human source information in terrorism, criminal and counterintelligence investigations."

To avoid future problems, the statement said, "the FBI has taken significant steps in recent years regarding the management and oversight of human sources of intelligence".

The FBI's policy of using murderers grew out of a belated effort by a former director, J. Edgar Hoover, to go after the Mafia, which Hoover had earlier denied even existed, the report said. So, in the early 1960s, the bureau began recruiting underworld informers in its new campaign.

The report focuses heavily on one episode, the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan, a small-time hoodlum who was killed by Jimmy Flemmi and Joseph Barboza, who had just been recruited by an FBI agent in Boston, Paul Rico.

The FBI knew the two men were the killers because it had been using an unauthorised wire tap and had heard Flemmi ask the Mafia boss, Raymond Patriarca, for permission to kill Deegan. A few days later, Deegan was shot dead.

The FBI was so intent on protecting its new informants, the report said, that it passed up a chance to try Patriarca for his involvement in the killing.

Instead, four men who had nothing to do with the killing were tried and convicted, with two sentenced to death and two to life in prison.

Two of the men died in prison and two had their sentences commuted and were freed after serving 30 years behind bars.

Hoover was kept fully informed about this murder and the wrongful convictions, the report said.

The New York Times

[Destro]

60s era Mafia hitmen with FBI links? Gee, that could explain lots of things.....

[Destro]

bump

[js1138]

This wouldn't be happening if Bush hadn't stolen the election.

[lelio]

"While the FBI recognises there have been instances of misconduct by a few FBI employees, it also recognises the importance of human source information in terrorism, criminal and counterintelligence investigations."

Sheesh, is that their defense of all their actions now? "We allowed our informants to murder as it was helpful in our terrorist investigation" They shouldn't be selling, and I'm definately not buying.

[robowombat]

Hoover was an ethically calloused mandirin but there is another aspect to this horrible tale. For decades JEH had resisted mob infiltation activities. Now maybe this was a result of some gentlemen in NYC owning his race track markers. But Hoover also contended that the only way to take on mob operations was to penetrate them with mobsters the FBI had turned just as the CPUSA was riddled with FBI informants. To turn mobsters would require being complicit in their misdeeds either through turning a blind eye or protecting the moles. This would turn FBI handlers into criminal confederates. So the Director nixed such operations.

Until Bobby kenedy became his boss. Being the Prez brother and confidant Hoover knew he faced a unique threat to his tenure and turf. Bobby rode to fame for his crimebuster image as Senate Racketeering Committee counsel. He elevated jimmy Hoffa into a sort of Stalin of labor figure to inflate the misdeeds of these goons. As AJ he was determined to continue his crusade against the mob as a fool proof tactic for elevating his national stature with an eye on future national elective office. Bobby prssured Hoover relentlessly to use what ever means to get inside the mob so that high profile prosecutions might result. On top of this a gang war started in Boston which eventually encompassed a number of gangster cliques. So Hoover relented around 1962 and directed penetration operations to begin. The first location for these was Boston.

It would be nice if Hoover had not been so morally corrupt and refused to mount such dubious operations. But he was a Washington insider and nothing is more important than power, position and perks. But it was not just J Edgar that set this disgrace up or sustained in the years after 1972.

[gcruse]

I'm proud to be an American...most of the time.

[theDentist]

You know, 10 years ago I would not have believed this.

[chiefqc]

Instead, four men who had nothing to do with the killing were tried and convicted, with two sentenced to death and two to life in prison. Two of the men died in prison and two had their sentences commuted and were freed after serving 30 years behind bars. Hoover was kept fully informed about this murder and the wrongful convictions, the report said.

There must be special reward for perverts like this, at least I hope there is and it's very,very,very hot.

[Redbob]

I'd like to hear a little more about the 4 who were wrongly convicted:

Were they paragons of virtue with lily-white records?
Or were they, as is is far more likely, repeat offenders who were regularly getting away with other crimes big and small?

[hopespringseternal]

Or were they, as is is far more likely, repeat offenders who were regularly getting away with other crimes big and small?

I don't know about this particular case, but most wrongful convictions are of "known scumbags" who are guilty enough in any event.

[gcruse]

More than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants in Boston from 1965, often with the help of FBI agents, it said.

there must be special reward for perverts like this

This goes beyond perversion.  This is organized crime
on the part of the US government.

[RJCogburn]

This is organized crime on the part of the US government.

So where is our buddy, AGAshcroft, on this one?

[gcruse]

Good question.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

More than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants in Boston from 1965, often with the help of FBI agents, it said.

This can't be true! The Democraps were in control and they would never let anything bad happen! /stupid sarcasm

[bvw]

• allowing innocent men to be sentenced to death
• more than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants
• often with the help of FBI agents
• no FBI agent or official has ever been disciplined

.. the report said.

Murder. Conspiracy to murder. And sccomplices after the fact.

[Holly_P]

I don't know about this particular case

I saw one of them on an interview about a year ago. He was a small time bookie. Spent thirty years in prison for a murder he didn't do.His wife did not divorce him in all that time.

During that period a lot of people were calling for the removal of J.E.H.s name from the F.B.I. building in Washington.

Though Ann Colter says there's no proof that Hoover was a trannie, he spent most of his adult life living with someone named Clyde. Which wouldn't make him a transvetite but it sure smells queer to me.

He seems to have done a lot of good things in his career and a few things that were horrendous.

[Iconoclast2]

Moving on, of course. The crimes of federal government officials are generally no longer a concern of the Justice Department (except insofar as it may be participating in them, or prosecuting those would expose higher-ups).

[the crow]

BTTT

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mayerlanskycubabump.....