James “Whitey” Bulger, the notorious mobster who ruled Boston’s criminal underworld in the ‘70s and ’80, was found guilty on Monday of racketeering and conspiracy. Bulger ran the crime gang known as “Winter Hill,” after he came to power in a mob war that resulted in members of rival gangs getting killed.The jury convicted Bulger on 31 out of 32 criminal counts. They also found that prosecutors had proven their case in 11 out of 19 murders that Bulger was charged with committing.Bulger’s lawyers took a novel approach – rarely addressing many of the charges. Bulger didn’t take the stand and told the judge earlier in the trial: “As far as I’m concerned…this is a sham and do what you want with me.” In addition, Bulger got into obscenity-laced exchanges with witnesses who testified against him.Bulger had eluded law enforcement for almost two decades. In 2011, authorities found him in a Santa Monica, Calif., bungalow with numerous weapons and over $800,000 in cash stuffed in the walls. He was a neighbor of msnbc’s Lawrence O’Donnell.Boston Globe reporter Kevin Cullen live-tweeted the verdict from the courtroom:
Whitey is slack jawed. Looks like he’s had better days. Bright side is he looks good in orange. #Bulger— Kevin Cullen (@GlobeCullen) August 12, 2013
Bulger, 83, faces life behind bars. He claims that a deceased prosecutor had granted him immunity and will appeal the case. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.O’Donnell commented about Bulger being captured within walking distance of his Santa Monica home in 2011 and discussed Bulger’s life on the run as a gangster, murderer and sociopath with Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr who wrote two books on the mobster. Check out the segment here:
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