John Connolly (FBI)
Encyclopedia
John J. Connolly, Jr. is a former FBI
agent, who was convicted of racketeering and obstruction of justice
convictions stemming from his relationship with James J. "Whitey" Bulger, Steve Flemmi
, and the Winter Hill Gang
. Connolly was released from federal prison June 28, 2011, and was transferred to Massachusetts state prison to serve the remainder of his sentence for his 2008 second degree murder conviction.
State police and other federal officers had been trying to imprison Whitey Bulger for years, but Bulger evaded capture until 2011. As the FBI handler for Bulger and Flemmi, Connolly (who had grown up in the Old Harbor Housing Project with Bulger) had been protecting them from prosecution by feeding Bulger information about possible attempts to catch them.
Connolly was indicted on December 22, 1999 on charges of alerting Bulger and Flemmi to investigations, falsifying FBI reports to cover their crimes, and accepting bribes. In 2000, he was charged with additional racketeering related offenses. He was convicted on the racketeering charges in 2002 and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
This scandal was the basis for the book Black Mass and is alluded to in the 2006 crime
thriller film
, The Departed
, written by William Monahan
and directed by Martin Scorsese
.
. John Jr. was able to attend Columbus High School, a Catholic high school in the Italian North End, Boston neighborhood. John Sr. earned the moniker "Galway John" because he was a second-generation Irish-American from Galway, Ireland in South Boston, Massachusetts
. He has a sister, Mary Ann, and one younger brother named James, who would later follow John's footsteps and seek a career in law enforcement, joining the DEA
New England Division based in Boston.
As a boy, Connolly would later tell reporters his first memory of James J. Bulger
, using his illicit earnings to buy ice cream cones for all the boys that swarmed around him in adoration. He would later answer to the nickname Elvis because of his thick black hair and also to 'Neighbor,' because of his early years of growing up in the projects. He was a neighbor of the Bulger family, Joseph Moakley and Francis 'Buddy' Leonard who would later be murdered by Bulger in 1975 during his battle for power over the rackets.
and attended law class and then briefly, unhappily, attended Suffolk University Law School
for a Bachelor of Law in the same class as John Martorano's brother James Martorano
. He later withdrew from Suffolk University and went on to earn a graduate degree in Public Administration from Harvard University
's John F. Kennedy School of Government
. Before he became an FBI agent Connolly worked as a teacher at South Boston High School and Dorchester High School In 1968 he met with H. Paul Rico
's FBI partner Special Agent Dennis Condon, and Boston Police Department Detective Edward Walsh, an old friend of the Connolly family. Both Condon and Walsh would later brag that they had 'recruited' Connolly. Then he stopped by his old neighbor and state representative Billy Bulger to discuss career opportunities in law enforcement. On August 1, 1968 U.S. House Speaker John William McCormack
wrote a personal note to J. Edgar Hoover
on behalf of a constituent. The letter began, "Dear Edgar, It has come to my attention that the son of a lifelong personal friend has applied to become a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation..." He was appointed to the FBI in October 1968. FBI Supervisor John M. Morris, who would also face charges of corruption, was Connolly's supervisor during much of his time working for the FBI.
field office before he was transferred back to New York, New York where he helped break up a child pornography
ring. But he wanted to return to Boston to be closer to his ailing father. In 1980 he moved into the neighbourhood of Dorchester Heights
across the street from South Boston High School, at 48 Thomas Park. During his career in the FBI, Connolly investigated organized crime and over the span of his career received eight commendations from every Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
from J. Edgar Hoover
through L. Patrick Gray
, William Ruckelshaus
, Clarence M. Kelley
, James B. Adams
, William H. Webster, John Otto
and William S. Sessions
. In 1973 he was the first agent assigned to the FBI office in Boston and maintained an office at One Centre Plaza in Government Center, Boston. He is the brother-in-law of Arthur Gianelli who was later indicted with Joe (Joey Y) Yerardi who oversaw John Martorano's criminal operations when he was a federal fugitive in Florida between 1978 and 1995. In 1989 the DEA was probing the Winter Hill Gang
for suspected drug trafficking.
The DEA was well aware that John's brother James, and a former room mate of his both worked for the DEA. An FBI supervisor later noted in a memo, the head of the DEA's Boston office, "quietly changed the duties of both these DEA special agents so they would not become aware of this matter." Boston FBI Special Agent Robert Fitzpatrick said, "Connolly just became a force unto himself, a vortex in a constantly changing system. He stayed put as new agents in charge came and went. And he could take care of other agents. He became the guy who could get you sports tickets. He could help you get a day off through the secretaries. He made no secret that he could help you get a job after retirement through Billy Bulger. But he wasn't that much of an agent. He couldn't write a report. He was no administrator. He was just this brassy bullshit artist. We enabled him to some extent. No one had the stomach for examining what he was up to. We just never came to grip with that guy."
In 1990 after he retired from the FBI, Billy Bulger lobbied with Boston Mayor Ray Flynn to have Connolly appointed Commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Flynn instead appointed Francis Roache
. Before he was brought up on criminal charges, John was mentioned in the crime fiction book 'The Underboss: The Rise & Fall of a Mafia Family' in 1989 by Gerard O'Neil and Dick Lehr that follow the FBI's crusade against Gennaro Angiulo
with Connolly, John Morris and a team of fellow FBI agents.
. He then married Mary Ann Foley but they divorced after Mary Ann cited an "irretrievable breakdown" after a four year separation, filing for divorce in January 1982. Mary Ann was a registered nurse and neither protested the separation that became official a few months later. He married again to 23-year-old Elizabeth L. Moore a court stenographer who worked at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
.
John had no children with his first wife and would later father three sons to his third wife Elizabeth. When John and Elizabeth first married he bought a $80,000 condominium for them in Brewster, Massachusetts
and took regular vacations to Cape Cod
. His sister-in-law Mary Ann Moore, is married to Arthur Gianelli. Gianelli and Connolly purchased adjoining property in Lynnfield, Massachusetts
from Patriarca mob family extortionist Rocco Botta.
and James J. Bulger at a coffee shop in Newton, Massachusetts
. He occasionally lectured FBI agents at the FBI Academy
in Quantico, Virginia
on informant development tactics and techniques and was a member of the Boston FBI's Organized Crime Squad. Retired FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone
wrote in his book, The Ceremony, "The reign of the Patriarca crime family is ended. A substantial amount of the credit for the demise of that mob family must be given to one man, Special Agent John Conolly." Louis Litif
, one of the top bookmakers and Winter Hill Gang
mob associate was one of Connolly's handball partners at the Boston Athletic Club. He retired from the FBI honorably in 1990 and accepted the position of Director of Security/Public affairs for Boston Edison
, from former Boston FBI Special Agent John Kehoe.
certified public accountant
John B. Callahan and the 1981 murder of Roger Wheeler, owner of the World Jai Alai sporting corporation. Connolly stood trial in 2008 in Miami. Callahan was murdered by John Martorano who shot Callahan and left his body in the trunk of his Cadillac
in a parking lot at Miami International Airport
. Prosecutors alleged that Callahan was killed on the orders of Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi after Connolly told them that the FBI was investigating his ties to the Winter Hill Gang in their ongoing investigation into Wheeler's death. Wheeler had been killed by Martorano in Tulsa, Oklahoma
in May 1981.
During the trial, Bulger associates Stephen Flemmi, Kevin Weeks
and John Martorano testified for the prosecution detailing Connolly's ties to Bulger and Flemmi. Long time Bulger girlfriend Teresa Stanley testified for the defense about her travels with Bulger. Flemmi testified that Connolly warned them that the FBI wanted to question Callahan in the death of Wheeler, telling them that Callahan "wouldn't hold up" and would probably implicate them.
Also testifying against Connolly was his former FBI boss, John Morris, who admitted that he accepted $7,000 in bribes from Bulger and Flemmi. He stated he began leaking information to them after Connolly delivered a case of wine and an envelope stuffed with $1000 cash from the pair.
Testifying for Connolly was former U.S. Attorney
and current U.S. District Senior Judge
Edward F. Harrington
who testified that Connolly was a star agent who was credited with using informants to help destroy the New England Mafia
.
On November 6, 2008, a jury convicted Connolly of second-degree murder. According to the prosecutors, Connolly faced a possible sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Connolly was due to be sentenced on December 4, 2008 but sentencing was postponed until January while the judge in the case, Circuit Judge Stanford Blake, considered a motion by the defense to dismiss the case. The defense argued that in Florida, the statute of limitations
had expired for second-degree murder when Connolly was convicted.
On January 15, 2009, Blake sentenced Connolly to 40 years in prison, saying that Connolly "crossed over to the dark side." The judge agreed with the defense's argument involving the statute of limitations, but noted that their motion was past the deadline for such motions. He accepted prosecutors' argument that Connolly abused his badge and deserved more than the 30-year minimum. The 40-year state sentence will run consecutively with the 10-year federal sentence, all but assuring that Connolly will die in prison.
He was in FCI Butner Low facility at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner in North Carolina
. He was released from federal custody on June 28, 2011, and was transferred to a Massachusetts prison to serve his 40-year state sentence.
Connolly insists he had nothing to do with the Callahan murder. With Bulger's capture on June 24, 2011; Connolly's attorney said his client would appeal if Bulger corroborates Connolly's claim of innocence.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent, who was convicted of racketeering and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
convictions stemming from his relationship with James J. "Whitey" Bulger, Steve Flemmi
Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
, and the Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
. Connolly was released from federal prison June 28, 2011, and was transferred to Massachusetts state prison to serve the remainder of his sentence for his 2008 second degree murder conviction.
State police and other federal officers had been trying to imprison Whitey Bulger for years, but Bulger evaded capture until 2011. As the FBI handler for Bulger and Flemmi, Connolly (who had grown up in the Old Harbor Housing Project with Bulger) had been protecting them from prosecution by feeding Bulger information about possible attempts to catch them.
Connolly was indicted on December 22, 1999 on charges of alerting Bulger and Flemmi to investigations, falsifying FBI reports to cover their crimes, and accepting bribes. In 2000, he was charged with additional racketeering related offenses. He was convicted on the racketeering charges in 2002 and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
This scandal was the basis for the book Black Mass and is alluded to in the 2006 crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
thriller film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
, written by William Monahan
William Monahan
William J. Monahan is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay was The Departed, a film which earned him a WGA award and an Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay.-Writer and editor:...
and directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
.
Biography
John Joseph Connolly Jr. was the namesake and son of an Irish immigrant John Connolly Sr. known as "Galway John" by friends and neighbours. His father was a Gillette employee for 50 years; his mother Bridget T. Kelly was a housewife. They lived in the Old Harbor housing project on O'Callahan Way until John Jr. was twelve. In 1952 his family moved to the City Point neighborhood of South Boston, MassachusettsSouth Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
. John Jr. was able to attend Columbus High School, a Catholic high school in the Italian North End, Boston neighborhood. John Sr. earned the moniker "Galway John" because he was a second-generation Irish-American from Galway, Ireland in South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston, Massachusetts
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...
. He has a sister, Mary Ann, and one younger brother named James, who would later follow John's footsteps and seek a career in law enforcement, joining the DEA
DEA
DEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
New England Division based in Boston.
As a boy, Connolly would later tell reporters his first memory of James J. Bulger
James J. Bulger
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is a former organized crime figure from Boston, Massachusetts.Local folklore depicted Bulger as a Robin Hood-style social bandit dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Bulger allegedly masterminded a protection racket targeting drug kingpins...
, using his illicit earnings to buy ice cream cones for all the boys that swarmed around him in adoration. He would later answer to the nickname Elvis because of his thick black hair and also to 'Neighbor,' because of his early years of growing up in the projects. He was a neighbor of the Bulger family, Joseph Moakley and Francis 'Buddy' Leonard who would later be murdered by Bulger in 1975 during his battle for power over the rackets.
Education
Connolly graduated from Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and attended law class and then briefly, unhappily, attended Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
for a Bachelor of Law in the same class as John Martorano's brother James Martorano
James Martorano
James "Jimmy" Martorano is an American organized crime figure with ties to the Winter Hill Gang of South Boston, Massachusetts and a member of the Patriarca crime family as of 1995. Martorano is the younger brother of notorious "hitman" and later government witness, John Martorano,James Martorano...
. He later withdrew from Suffolk University and went on to earn a graduate degree in Public Administration from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
. Before he became an FBI agent Connolly worked as a teacher at South Boston High School and Dorchester High School In 1968 he met with H. Paul Rico
H. Paul Rico
Harold Paul Rico was an FBI agent. Indicted for murder in 2003, he played a significant role in the 1968 framing of four men for murder, unjustly imprisoning them for decades....
's FBI partner Special Agent Dennis Condon, and Boston Police Department Detective Edward Walsh, an old friend of the Connolly family. Both Condon and Walsh would later brag that they had 'recruited' Connolly. Then he stopped by his old neighbor and state representative Billy Bulger to discuss career opportunities in law enforcement. On August 1, 1968 U.S. House Speaker John William McCormack
John William McCormack
John William McCormack was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts.McCormack served as a member of United States House of Representatives from 1928 until he retired from political life in 1971...
wrote a personal note to J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
on behalf of a constituent. The letter began, "Dear Edgar, It has come to my attention that the son of a lifelong personal friend has applied to become a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation..." He was appointed to the FBI in October 1968. FBI Supervisor John M. Morris, who would also face charges of corruption, was Connolly's supervisor during much of his time working for the FBI.
FBI career
As an agent he was also one of the primary agents involved in developing the Top Echelon Criminal Informants Program in New England. He began his FBI career in Baltimore, Maryland field office and then San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
field office before he was transferred back to New York, New York where he helped break up a child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
ring. But he wanted to return to Boston to be closer to his ailing father. In 1980 he moved into the neighbourhood of Dorchester Heights
Dorchester Heights
Dorchester Heights is the central area of South Boston. It is the highest area in the neighborhood and commands a view of both Boston Harbor and downtown.-History:...
across the street from South Boston High School, at 48 Thomas Park. During his career in the FBI, Connolly investigated organized crime and over the span of his career received eight commendations from every Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
from J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
through L. Patrick Gray
L. Patrick Gray
Louis Patrick Gray III was acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from May 2, 1972 to April 27, 1973. During this time, the FBI was in charge of the initial investigation into the burglaries that sparked the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President...
, William Ruckelshaus
William Ruckelshaus
William Doyle Ruckelshaus is an American attorney and, several times, U.S. government official. He served as the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, was subsequently acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and then Deputy Attorney General of the United States...
, Clarence M. Kelley
Clarence M. Kelley
Clarence M. Kelley was a public servant who served as the 2nd Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation....
, James B. Adams
James B. Adams
James Blackburn Adams is a former attorney, Texas legislator, and acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation....
, William H. Webster, John Otto
John Otto
John Otto may refer to:* John Otto , original member of the band Limp Bizkit* John Otto , acting director of the FBI in 1987* John Otto , first superintendent at Colorado National Monument...
and William S. Sessions
William S. Sessions
William Steele Sessions is a civil servant who served as a judge and 4th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
. In 1973 he was the first agent assigned to the FBI office in Boston and maintained an office at One Centre Plaza in Government Center, Boston. He is the brother-in-law of Arthur Gianelli who was later indicted with Joe (Joey Y) Yerardi who oversaw John Martorano's criminal operations when he was a federal fugitive in Florida between 1978 and 1995. In 1989 the DEA was probing the Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
for suspected drug trafficking.
The DEA was well aware that John's brother James, and a former room mate of his both worked for the DEA. An FBI supervisor later noted in a memo, the head of the DEA's Boston office, "quietly changed the duties of both these DEA special agents so they would not become aware of this matter." Boston FBI Special Agent Robert Fitzpatrick said, "Connolly just became a force unto himself, a vortex in a constantly changing system. He stayed put as new agents in charge came and went. And he could take care of other agents. He became the guy who could get you sports tickets. He could help you get a day off through the secretaries. He made no secret that he could help you get a job after retirement through Billy Bulger. But he wasn't that much of an agent. He couldn't write a report. He was no administrator. He was just this brassy bullshit artist. We enabled him to some extent. No one had the stomach for examining what he was up to. We just never came to grip with that guy."
In 1990 after he retired from the FBI, Billy Bulger lobbied with Boston Mayor Ray Flynn to have Connolly appointed Commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Flynn instead appointed Francis Roache
Francis Roache
Francis M. "Mickey" Roache is an American law enforcement officer and politician who is the Suffolk County Register of Deeds. He previously served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 to 2002....
. Before he was brought up on criminal charges, John was mentioned in the crime fiction book 'The Underboss: The Rise & Fall of a Mafia Family' in 1989 by Gerard O'Neil and Dick Lehr that follow the FBI's crusade against Gennaro Angiulo
Gennaro Angiulo
Gennaro "Jerry" Angiulo was a New England mob boss who rose through the Mafia under Raymond L. S. Patriarca. He was convicted of racketeering in 1986 and was in jail until being released in 2007. One of the Angiulo Brothers, Angiulo was "probably the last very significant Mafia boss in Boston’s...
with Connolly, John Morris and a team of fellow FBI agents.
Married Life
Connolly married his first wife Marianne Lockary, his childhood sweetheart after he neared graduation from Suffolk University Law SchoolSuffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
. He then married Mary Ann Foley but they divorced after Mary Ann cited an "irretrievable breakdown" after a four year separation, filing for divorce in January 1982. Mary Ann was a registered nurse and neither protested the separation that became official a few months later. He married again to 23-year-old Elizabeth L. Moore a court stenographer who worked at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, located on Fan Pier on the Boston, Massachusetts waterfront...
.
John had no children with his first wife and would later father three sons to his third wife Elizabeth. When John and Elizabeth first married he bought a $80,000 condominium for them in Brewster, Massachusetts
Brewster, Massachusetts
Brewster is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population of Brewster was 9,820 at the 2010 census.Brewster is twinned with the town of Budleigh Salterton in the United Kingdom....
and took regular vacations to Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. His sister-in-law Mary Ann Moore, is married to Arthur Gianelli. Gianelli and Connolly purchased adjoining property in Lynnfield, Massachusetts
Lynnfield, Massachusetts
Lynnfield is a wealthy town in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 11,542.- History :...
from Patriarca mob family extortionist Rocco Botta.
Website
At the time of Connolly's incarceration she stayed by his side and remained married to him. His wife Elizabeth is the webmaster for the website www.justiceforjohn.com who states in the website mission that it, "represents the collective voices of the many friends and supporters of retired FBI Special Agent John J. Connolly Jr. ... It is our hope that you will review these documents, and join with us in our quest for justice for John, beginning with a new trial".Meeting Flemmi and Bulger
He first met FBI informants Steven FlemmiStephen Flemmi
Stephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
and James J. Bulger at a coffee shop in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. He occasionally lectured FBI agents at the FBI Academy
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...
in Quantico, Virginia
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
on informant development tactics and techniques and was a member of the Boston FBI's Organized Crime Squad. Retired FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone
Joseph D. Pistone
Joseph Dominick Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, , is a former FBI agent who worked undercover for six years infiltrating the Bonanno crime family and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City...
wrote in his book, The Ceremony, "The reign of the Patriarca crime family is ended. A substantial amount of the credit for the demise of that mob family must be given to one man, Special Agent John Conolly." Louis Litif
Louis Litif
Louis R. Litif , also known as Nicholas Noonan and Louis Woodward, was a Lebanese-American bookmaker from South Boston, Massachusetts. After running afoul of neighborhood Irish mob boss James J. Bulger, Litif was murdered in 1982. His body was left in a car trunk in the South End, Boston...
, one of the top bookmakers and Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
mob associate was one of Connolly's handball partners at the Boston Athletic Club. He retired from the FBI honorably in 1990 and accepted the position of Director of Security/Public affairs for Boston Edison
Boston Edison
Boston Edison can refer to:*Boston-Edison, a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan.*Boston Edison Company, an operating unit of NSTAR...
, from former Boston FBI Special Agent John Kehoe.
Murder trial, conviction and sentencing
In 2005, Connolly was indicted on murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges in the 1982 slaying of Arthur AndersenArthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
John B. Callahan and the 1981 murder of Roger Wheeler, owner of the World Jai Alai sporting corporation. Connolly stood trial in 2008 in Miami. Callahan was murdered by John Martorano who shot Callahan and left his body in the trunk of his Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
in a parking lot at Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
. Prosecutors alleged that Callahan was killed on the orders of Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi after Connolly told them that the FBI was investigating his ties to the Winter Hill Gang in their ongoing investigation into Wheeler's death. Wheeler had been killed by Martorano in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
in May 1981.
During the trial, Bulger associates Stephen Flemmi, Kevin Weeks
Kevin Weeks
Kevin Weeks is a former mobster of Irish-American descent and a longtime friend and confidant to James J. Bulger, the infamous boss of the Winter Hill Gang, a crime family based out of the Winter Hill neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts.After his arrest and imprisonment in 1999, he became a...
and John Martorano testified for the prosecution detailing Connolly's ties to Bulger and Flemmi. Long time Bulger girlfriend Teresa Stanley testified for the defense about her travels with Bulger. Flemmi testified that Connolly warned them that the FBI wanted to question Callahan in the death of Wheeler, telling them that Callahan "wouldn't hold up" and would probably implicate them.
Also testifying against Connolly was his former FBI boss, John Morris, who admitted that he accepted $7,000 in bribes from Bulger and Flemmi. He stated he began leaking information to them after Connolly delivered a case of wine and an envelope stuffed with $1000 cash from the pair.
Testifying for Connolly was former U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
and current U.S. District Senior Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
Edward F. Harrington
Edward Francis Harrington
Edward Francis Harrington is a United States federal judge.-Early life:Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, Harrington received an A.B. from College of the Holy Cross in 1955 and a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1960. He was in the United States Navy Lieutenant, JAG Corps from 1955 to 1957....
who testified that Connolly was a star agent who was credited with using informants to help destroy the New England Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
.
On November 6, 2008, a jury convicted Connolly of second-degree murder. According to the prosecutors, Connolly faced a possible sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Connolly was due to be sentenced on December 4, 2008 but sentencing was postponed until January while the judge in the case, Circuit Judge Stanford Blake, considered a motion by the defense to dismiss the case. The defense argued that in Florida, the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
had expired for second-degree murder when Connolly was convicted.
On January 15, 2009, Blake sentenced Connolly to 40 years in prison, saying that Connolly "crossed over to the dark side." The judge agreed with the defense's argument involving the statute of limitations, but noted that their motion was past the deadline for such motions. He accepted prosecutors' argument that Connolly abused his badge and deserved more than the 30-year minimum. The 40-year state sentence will run consecutively with the 10-year federal sentence, all but assuring that Connolly will die in prison.
He was in FCI Butner Low facility at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He was released from federal custody on June 28, 2011, and was transferred to a Massachusetts prison to serve his 40-year state sentence.
Connolly insists he had nothing to do with the Callahan murder. With Bulger's capture on June 24, 2011; Connolly's attorney said his client would appeal if Bulger corroborates Connolly's claim of innocence.
See also
- Whitey Bulger
- Howie CarrHowie CarrHoward Louis "Howie" Carr, Jr. is an American journalist, author, and conservative radio talk-show host based in Boston with a listening audience rooted in New England.-Radio:...
- Stephen FlemmiStephen FlemmiStephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
- H. Paul RicoH. Paul RicoHarold Paul Rico was an FBI agent. Indicted for murder in 2003, he played a significant role in the 1968 framing of four men for murder, unjustly imprisoning them for decades....
- Winter Hill GangWinter Hill GangThe Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
- The DepartedThe DepartedThe Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
External links
- Profile on Boston.com
- Article on laborers.org
- Press Release from Boston FBI
- The Brothers Bulger: John Connolly
- Article on Miami New Times with mini biography