The family of notorious gangster Whitey Bulger has filed a wrongful death suit against the U.S. government, alleging that several agencies conspired to have him injured and killed following a prison transfer.
The criminal career of Whitey Bulger spanned decades and included prolific gang activity and murders in the Boston area. Bulger was known as the head of the Winter Hill gang and served as an FBI informant beginning in the 1970s until he fled Boston after learning of a pending RICO indictment against him.
Bulger was killed by fellow inmates within hours of being transferred to Federal Correctional Institution in Hazelton, West Virginia, at the age of 89. Bulger, who lived as a fugitive for many years prior to his capture in 2011, was serving multiple life sentences for racketeering, murder, and other crimes at the time of his death. The inmates beat and stabbed the elderly and wheelchair bound Bulger to death with a sock-wrapped padlock and shiv.
Bulger’s death was the third reported homicide at FCI Hazelton, which is nicknamed “Misery Mountain,” in a 40-day span. The penitentiary security at the time had been characterized as suffering from “dangerous continual understaffing” by members of Congress. The primary suspect in the orchestration of Bulger’s murder is Fotios “Freddy” Geas, who is said to hold particular prejudice against former gang members who have cooperated with law enforcement. He has not disputed his guilt.
The family of Bulger, however, suspects a much larger conspiracy that led to his murder. The wrongful death suit lists the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Marshals Service as having participated in a deliberate plan to execute Bulger.
“To be clear, we do not believe that the transfer to FCI Hazelton and placement in the general population was simply dangerous, negligent, reckless, and irresponsible; we believe it was also intentional and part of a conspiracy among BOP, DOJ employees, and others to intentionally cause Mr. Bulger’s serious injuries and death,” attorneys for the family said in the wrongful death suit.
The family is seeking a $200 million settlement for damage and injuries, though they did acknowledge the unlikelihood of receiving the money due to the complicated nature of federal financial charges against Bulger. “We believe that James Bulger was deliberately placed in harm’s way,” the family said in a statement. “There is simply no other explanation for the transfer of someone in his condition and inmate status to be placed in the general population of one of the country’s most violent federal penitentiaries.”
Attorneys for the family Hank Brennan and David Shoen also addressed concern for the safety of the prison populations in the wake of Bulger’s homicide. “Countless unnamed prisoners suffer from similar unchecked brutality every day and the rampant maltreatment in our prison system is an epidemic that needs redress,” they said in a statement. “We are collectively committed to pursuing the truth and we intend to force the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice to be transparent and open so that the public will have an opportunity to appreciate the immediate need for prison reform.”
