Posted on 11/17/2006 11:58:07 AM PST by Graybeard58
BOSTON -- Two Boston men spent 30 years in prison for an underworld slaying they did not commit after a judge ruled that the FBI withheld evidence that would have cleared the pair to protect a mob hit man who was serving as an informant.
Now, in a trial that opened Thursday, those men and the families of two others who were wrongfully convicted are seeking damages from the government that could total more than $100 million.
Joseph ''The Animal'' Barboza was a known mob assassin responsible for numerous hits during Boston's gangland wars of the 1960s. He was also so vital to FBI efforts to crack the mob that the agency allowed him to wrongly implicate four men for murder, attorneys for the plaintiffs said in opening statements.
Joseph Salvati and Peter Limone and the families of two other men who died while behind bars accuse the federal government of malicious prosecution, conspiracy and depriving the men's family of companionship.
''It was a rigged game, a charade, a story concocted by Mr. Barboza and assented to by the FBI,'' said attorney Austin McGuigan, who represents Salvati. ''There was no hope the real story in this case would be uncovered.''
The case is the latest development in a scandal that unfolded in Boston about a decade ago, when it was learned that the FBI had a corrupt relationship with the mob, protecting killers who were informants and even tipping them off to pending indictments.
The lawsuit was filed after the Justice Department released documents in 2001 that showed the FBI withheld evidence from state prosecutors that could have cleared the men so the agency could protect an informant who actually committed the crime.
The lawsuit does not ask for a specific dollar award, but briefs filed in the case point to past decisions that have awarded $1 million for each year wrongly imprisoned, which would total more than $100 million in this case.
Justice Department attorney Bridget Lipscomb said federal authorities had no duty to share information with state prosecutors, and cannot be liable for the results of a separate state investigation. She also noted the four men had access to some FBI information, as well as top-notch attorneys who raised doubts about Barboza's testimony at their trial.
It'll be a tough suit to win, but I hope they do. In a just world, the money to pay them off would come out of the pockets of the informant, the FBI, and the state prosecutors if they in fact knew about this set up.
I watched a special on tv about this about 6 months ago and it appeared that even Hoover knew what was going on and approved it.
If this is proven they should remove Hoover's name from the FBI building in D.C. that is named for him.
A million a year, plus every agent that knew about it gets life in prison. That's what should be done.
Not saying they should have spent time for crimes they didn't commit, but you know...
Thanks for the link. This should be heavily publicized as a warning about mis use of power in high places.
I couldn't care less if Hoover was a drag queen or a homo but crap like this is beyond shameful.
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