John Durham
Encyclopedia
For the Medal of Honor recipient, see John Durham (Medal of Honor)
.
John Durham is a federal prosecutor. He is probably best known for leading an inquiry into allegations that FBI agents and Boston police had ties with the mob.
In January 2008, he was appointed to lead the U.S. Justice Department criminal investigation into the 2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction
.
In December 2000, Durham revealed secret FBI documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of Enrico Tameleo
, Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone and Louis Greco because they had been framed by the agency. In 2007, the documents helped Salvati, Limone, and the families of the two other men - who died in prison - win a US$101.7 million civil judgment against the government.
Amid allegations that FBI informant
s James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had corrupted their handlers, US Attorney General Janet Reno
named Durham special prosecutor
in 1999. He oversaw a task force of FBI agents brought in from other offices to investigate the Boston
office's handling of informants.
In 2002, Durham helped secure the conviction of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal racketeering charges for protecting Bulger and Flemmi from prosecution and warning Bulger to flee just before the gangster's 1995 indictment.
Durham's task force also gathered evidence against retired FBI agent H. Paul Rico
who was indicted in Oklahoma
on state charges that he helped Bulger and Flemmi kill a Tulsa businessman in 1981. Rico died in 2004 before the case went to trial.
Durham also led a series of high-profile prosecutions in Connecticut
against the New England
Mafia
and corrupt politicians, including former governor John G. Rowland
.
In 2008, John Durham was appointed by then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate the destruction of CIA videotapes
of detainee interrogations.
In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder
appointed Durham to lead the Justice Department's investigation of the legality of CIA interrogation techniques.
In September 2009 University of Toledo
law professor Benjamin G. Davis attended a conference where former officials of the Bush administration had told conferences participants shocking stories, and accounts of illegality on the part of more senior Bush officials.
Davis wrote an appeal to former Bush officials to take their accounts of illegality directly to Durham.
In November of 2011, Durham was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.
John Durham (Medal of Honor)
John S. Durham served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Perryville.-Biography:...
.
John Durham is a federal prosecutor. He is probably best known for leading an inquiry into allegations that FBI agents and Boston police had ties with the mob.
In January 2008, he was appointed to lead the U.S. Justice Department criminal investigation into the 2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction
2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction
The CIA interrogation tapes destruction occurred on November 9, 2005. The videotapes were made by the United States Central Intelligence Agency during interrogations of Al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri in 2002 at a CIA black site prison in Thailand.. 90 tapes were made of...
.
In December 2000, Durham revealed secret FBI documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of Enrico Tameleo
Enrico Tameleo
Enrico "Henry" Tameleo , also known as "The Referee," was an Italian-American mobster from Boston, Massachusetts and underboss in the New England-based Patriarca crime family of La Cosa Nostra from 1952 to 1968.-Criminal career:...
, Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone and Louis Greco because they had been framed by the agency. In 2007, the documents helped Salvati, Limone, and the families of the two other men - who died in prison - win a US$101.7 million civil judgment against the government.
Amid allegations that FBI informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
s James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had corrupted their handlers, US Attorney General Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
named Durham special prosecutor
Special prosecutor
A special prosecutor generally is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by an attorney general or, in the United States, by Congress to investigate a government official for misconduct while in office. A reasoning for such an appointment is that the governmental branch or agency may have...
in 1999. He oversaw a task force of FBI agents brought in from other offices to investigate the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
office's handling of informants.
In 2002, Durham helped secure the conviction of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal racketeering charges for protecting Bulger and Flemmi from prosecution and warning Bulger to flee just before the gangster's 1995 indictment.
Durham's task force also gathered evidence against retired FBI agent 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....
who was indicted in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on state charges that he helped Bulger and Flemmi kill a Tulsa businessman in 1981. Rico died in 2004 before the case went to trial.
Durham also led a series of high-profile prosecutions in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
against the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
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...
and corrupt politicians, including former governor John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
.
In 2008, John Durham was appointed by then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate the destruction of CIA videotapes
2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction
The CIA interrogation tapes destruction occurred on November 9, 2005. The videotapes were made by the United States Central Intelligence Agency during interrogations of Al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri in 2002 at a CIA black site prison in Thailand.. 90 tapes were made of...
of detainee interrogations.
In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
appointed Durham to lead the Justice Department's investigation of the legality of CIA interrogation techniques.
In September 2009 University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
law professor Benjamin G. Davis attended a conference where former officials of the Bush administration had told conferences participants shocking stories, and accounts of illegality on the part of more senior Bush officials.
Davis wrote an appeal to former Bush officials to take their accounts of illegality directly to Durham.
In November of 2011, Durham was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.