Joseph Bruno's Blog, page 74

Joe Bruno on the Mob – The Midnight Terrors

There's an old boxing joke where a guy says, "Hey, you wouldn't believe it, but I went to a boxing match last night and a hockey game broke out." Well, imagine a New York City street gang that formed a baseball team so that they could expand their criminal empire. In the Gay Nineties in New York City, this actually happened, and the street gang was called The Midnight Terrors.

The Midnight Terrors were a group of young teenage boys, who terrorized the streets of the First Ward in the 1890′s. The First Ward was located on the southern-most tip of Manhattan. It ran eastbound on Liberty Street from the North River (now called the Hudson River), then continued on Maiden Lane, south to the Battery and all the way east to the East River. Governors, Bedloes, and Ellis Island were also part of the First Ward.

The Midnight Terrors were first called "The Dalton Gang," after its leader, 14-year old "Chief" Dan Dalton, who commanded his gang from their headquarters on Broad Street. Other gang members included 14-year-old Bob Trail, 14- year-old Joe Hammill, 17-year-old Jim Styles, 19-year-old Al Morrett, 14-year-old Pete Oliver, and the baby of the bunch: 11-year-old Pat Kane.

Because he was so tiny, Kane's specialty was to spread grease all over his body, then slither down the skylight of the business the gang was robbing. Once inside, Kane unlocked the front lock and let the rest of the gang in. The gang also specialized in the late-night muggings of any poor sap, dumb enough to walk the streets of the First Ward after dark. Each gang member carried a pistol and a straight razor, which they weren't hesitant to use. The gang's name was changed from "The Dalton Gang" to "The Midnight Terrors," because the gang did all it's business late at night, while the rest of the city was sleeping.

The biggest problem for the Midnight Terrors was boredom, especially during the day. One sunny afternoon, Dalton and a few of his gang members attended a local semi-pro baseball game. Dalton was quite impressed by the speed and ferocity of the event.

Dalton turned to a gang member next to him and said, "Hey dis game's a pip! We ought to learn 'ow to play."

And that they did, but not very well.

Not that it made any difference. Dalton and his gang has other ideas in mind.

The Midnight Terrors tried to join a local baseball league, but were told they could not play in the league unless they wore proper uniforms, which cost a considerable amount of cash, to dress an entire team.

So a fast crime spree was required to raise the money to buy the uniforms.

In short order, The Midnight Terrors robbed Fredrick England's Barber Shop at 4 Coenties Slip, Stephen Pyle's Restaurant at 19 Coenties Slip, Charles Steckler's Restaurant at 74 Pearl Street, and Meyer's Saloon at 89 Broad Street. In addition, numerous individuals were robbed in the streets, sometimes even during the daylight hours. All the cash derived from these escapades were put directly into "The Midnight Terror Uniform Fund."

Now resplendent in their sharp new uniforms, The Midnight Terrors were admitted into a baseball league, which played throughout the borough of Manhattan, and even into nearby Brooklyn. To make up for their lack of baseball ability, The Midnight Terror's baseball team played a brand of baseball that could rightfully be called criminal. All the team's member sharpened their spikes, and they did not slide directly into a base, but rather, right into the legs and chest of the opponent who was covering the base. As a result, countless fights broke out during games between The Midnight Terrors and their opponents, some of which became quite bloody. During these battles, baseball bats were used for other tasks besides just hitting the baseball.

To make sure they got the upper hand in these on-the-field-fights, The Midnight Terrors placed dozens of their non-baseball-playing gang members in the stands. As soon as an on-field commotion occurred, their cohorts would run onto the field, wielding bats, pipes, bricks, brass knuckles, and anything else they could get their hands on. The police were called in many times to break up these fights, but no arrests were ever made. The general feeling among the fuzz was that "boys will be boys," and as long as no one was dead, or crippled, – no harm, no foul.

Fighting on the field was one thing. And as long as The Midnight Terrors concentrated their robberies and muggings in the First Ward, the First Ward police, most of whom were on the Midnight Terrors' payroll anyway, looked the other way. However, "Chief" Dan Dalton's plan all along was to expand his operations, by having his non-baseball-playing gang members rob the people sitting in the stands, while the game was going on. Since these games took place in several neighborhoods other than the First Ward, the police in other parts of the city would have none of The Midnight Terrors' shenanigans. Besides, they had their own street gangs to deal with.

Spurred on by the police captains in other precincts, the First Ward cops rounded up as many of The Midnight Terrors that they could find, including "Chief" Dan Dalton. When The Midnight Terrors were arrested, the police found dozens of knifes and guns in their possession. Dalton, sure he would be back on the streets in no time, told the police captain in charge of their arrests, "Say jes keep an eye on doze guns and keys for us, Cap, will yer. 'Cause we'll soon be back."

However, the roof fell in on The Midnight Terrors, when the prosecuting attorney asked for, and received from the judge, a $500 bail amount for each member of the gang, which was a kingly sum in the Gay Nineties. It was also an impossible amount of money for any of the gang members to raise, since their had spent all their ill-gotten gains on their spiffy new baseball uniforms.

Since they could not hit the streets and attempt to jump bail, Dalton and all his top gang members had no choice but to go to trail. When Dalton took the witness stand, he was asked by Judge Voorhis what he had done with all the money he and his gang had stolen. Dalton replied, "We eat almost everythin' and wot we culdn't eat we sold. Dat's the way we wuz to get de uniforms fer de ball club."

The trial of The Midnight Terrors was a slam-dunk for the prosecution. Dalton and his gang were convicted of numerous crimes, and sent to the slammer for long periods of time. This effectively ended the reign of the Midnight Terrors in Lower Manhattan.

And the game of baseball, as we presently know it, was saved.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Mob Rat Gets Out-of-Jail Card and Golden Parachute From the Feds

It seems becoming a "mob informant" for the FBI can not only get you a get-out-of-jail-free card, but also put some bigtime money in your pockets.

Former Gambino Crime Family member Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo joined Team America in 2002. But now, after admitting a life of crime that included three murders, and "extorting everybody I could," DiLeonardo is a free man. DiLeonardo served only three years in prison, under the Witness Protection Program, which means DiLeonardo didn't do any hard time, but was mostly housed in a country club environment, while waiting to be the FBI's dancing monkey numerous times on the witness stand.

On September 11, 2011, in Manhattan Federal Court, U.S. District Judge John Koeltl awarded DiLeonardo a sentence of "time served," and praised DiLeonardo for his help in 14 organized crime trials, which resulted in the conviction of over 20 organized crime figures.

At DeLeonardo's sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig told Judge Koeltl that DiLeonardo's cooperation with the government was "nothing short of historic."

Historic – my Italian/American butt!

I can think of a lot of words to describe what DiLeonardo did, but none of them is "historic."

And to add insult to injury, according to Jerry Capeci's "Gangland" website, DiLeonardo is also being allowed to keep over $600,000, after he openly admitted, "Every dime of the money came from 'criminal endeavors' and could have been confiscated by the FBI."

DiLionardo even bragged, "As a concession to him, the feds held onto the money while he awaited sentencing."

What is going on here?

A guy becomes an informer against his closest friends. He is just as bad a criminal as they are, maybe even worse. And still, after the FBI uses his testimony (which may or not have been accurate) in 14 trials, they return to him his blood money, that he squeezed out of innocent people.

I can see the "time served" sentence. I don't like it, but I understand why it happened. This is how the FBI gets people to turn state's evidence. They promise bad people a light sentence, when they should be getting a life sentence, just so that they can imprison the "prize" mob figures they really want; in order to advance their law enforcement careers, of course.

But I don't understand how a crook, murderer, extortion artist, and all around bad guy gets to waltz out of prison with $600,000 in his grimy pockets, which the FBI held safely for him while he was awaiting sentence. But I guess that was part of the dirty deal the FBI made with DiLeonardo.

Every minute, I'm losing more and more confidence in the integrity of our government.

It doesn't have to be this way.

The article below appears at:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/1...

Curtis Sliwa Reacts To Freeing Of Mob Rat 'Mikey Scars' DiLeonardo

September 12, 2011 11:00 AM

NEW YORK (AP / WCBS 880) – A former close friend of John Gotti Jr. who confessed to conspiring to kill three people was freed from jail after earning praise at his sentencing Friday for helping law enforcement jail 80 members of organized crime.

Authorities described the cooperation of 56-year-old Michael "Mikey Scars" DiLeonardo as revolutionary in the annals of mob history, saying it led to convictions that included 20 high-level, dangerous mobsters. He testified at 14 trials, including Gotti's, and investigators praised his encyclopedic knowledge of mob life. Gotti remains free after the government dropped its charges when juries repeatedly deadlocked at trials over several years.

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan cited the praise as he sentenced DiLeonardo to time served, freeing him after three years in custody, though he is likely to remain in the federal witness protection program for now.

Prior to the announcement of the sentence, DiLeonardo addressed the court, calling La Cosa Nostra a "living, breathing beast."

"I was born into an ideology. … I was not a victim of it. I created victims for it," he said. DiLeonardo also apologized to society for himself and his forefathers, saying his family's life in organized crime goes back hundreds of years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Honig told Koeltl that DiLeonardo's cooperation was "nothing short of historic."

He said it was instrumental in bringing to justice "dangerous mobsters who had spent decades dodging the bullet of imprisonment."

He said those mobsters included many of organized crime's most influential leaders, forcing the Gambino family to scramble to refill its ranks.

Afterward, DiLeonardo shook hands and hugged law enforcement personnel throughout the courtroom. But he got a cold reception from Curtis Sliwa, the radio personality and Guardian Angels founder who was shot in a mob hit in 1992. The assailant was a masked gunman crouched in the front seat of a cab that was rigged to keep Sliwa from escaping.

"He could see I was cold as ice," Sliwa said of DiLeonardo's effort to include Sliwa in his celebration. "This guy had no problem planning a hit on me. … He murdered three people. … I will never forgive. I will never forget."

But Sliwa did give DiLeonardo some grudging credit when he spoke to WCBS 880 reporter Irene Cornell.

"Without 'Mikey Scars,' that would never have happened. The gunman would never be doing twenty years for shooting me on Gotti's orders," he told Cornell.

Authorities charged that Gotti ordered Sliwa's kidnapping to silence his daily on-air verbal assaults on Gotti's late father, Gambino boss John Gotti.

During one of the younger Gotti's trials, DiLeonardo testified that the elder Gotti had a child with a mistress, causing Gotti's widow to blame the testimony about the man known as the "Dapper Don" on "dirty government politics as usual."

He compared his relationship with the younger Gotti to that of the most notorious Gambino cooperator, Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, who had been Gotti's father's confidant and his enforcer before he became a government witness.

The grandson of a gangster, DiLeonardo testified at trial that he committed three murders and "extorted everybody I could."

Gotti was in prison on a 1999 racketeering conviction when DiLeonardo was arrested and jailed in 2002. He testified that he was shocked to learn the Gambinos cut off his income and stripped him of his rank as captain.

After agreeing to cooperate and entering the witness protection program, he testified that he became so distraught by the thought of betraying his "brother John" that he tried to kill himself by overdosing on sleeping pills.

"John and I had a special bond in this life, and I always said I'd have undying loyalty to that man," he said. "I love that guy."

Joe Bruno on the Mob – The Crazy Butch Gang

In the Gay Nineties, Crazy Butch was one of the youngest criminals on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Legend has it that Butch was abandoned by his parents when he was only eight years old, and as a result, Butch lived on the streets and became, what was known at the time, a "street urchin."

One day, Butch was scrounging on the streets looking for food to eat, when he met a dog, who was abandoned too. Butch took the dog under his wing and named the dog "Rabbi," because the dog was so smart.

Butch began teaching Rabbi "tricks," but not the usual tricks kids would teach their dogs. When Butch spotted an old lady carrying a handbag, he would tell Rabbi to "Go fetch." And that Rabbi would do, by lunging at the handbag and tearing it off the arm of the startled woman. Then Rabbi, handbag tightly in his mouth, would run to the corner of Willett Street and Stanton Street, where Butch would be waiting. Butch would get the contents of the handbag, and Rabbi would get himself a nice big bone, one of which Butch always kept in his pocket, in case a mark suddenly appeared.

Butch and Rabbi were so successful in their stealing, other street urchins started following them, so that they could learn the tricks of the trade too. Soon Butch had his own gang of pre-teen and teenage crooks, which he called the "Crazy Butch Gang."

When Butch accumulated enough cash, he bought himself a huge bicycle; not only for transportation, but to be used as an instrument for his next scheme. Butch would peddle the bike on the crowded streets of lower Manhattan, followed by his gang, and Rabbi. When Butch thought the time was right, he'd plow his bike into an unsuspecting female pedestrian. Instead of apologizing to the fallen lady, Butch would jump off his bike and begin berated his victim with remarks like, "What are you blind, or somethin'? You old bag!"

Almost immediately, a curious crowd would form a circle around Butch and his victim. While unsuspecting onlookers were scoping out the Crazy Butch situation, Butch's gang, ranging from 10 – 15 incorrigible kids, would slip though the crowd, picking every pocket in sight. Rabbi would grab his customary handbag, usually from the very person Butch had knocked to the pavement. Then the gang members would scatter in different directions. They would meet later at their headquarters, a small third-floor apartment on Forsyth Street, to divvy up the profits.

As Butch and his gang started getting older and more bolder, they attracted the attention of Paul Kelly's Five Points Gangs, which ruled the same neighborhood where Crazy Butch had been pilfering. Apparently, Butch's gang had victimized a few relatives of the Five Points Gang, and it was rumored that one of the Five Pointers himself had been pickpocketed by the Crazy Butch Gang.

Soon, Butch heard that the Five Pointers were out to get him and his gang, so one summer day Butch decided to test how good his gang's defenses were in their Forsyth Street apartment. Not being the brightest of mugs, Butch crept up the stairs, then screaming like a banshee, he busted into his gang's apartment, firing away with a revolver in each hand. His startled gangs members, most of whom were taking naps, were totally taken by surprise. One of the gang members, Little Kishky, was sitting on the window sill with the window open. Little Kishky fell backwards out the window to the pavement three floors below. It is not clear if Crazy Butch paid for Little Kishky's hospital expenses.

As the Crazy Butch Gang got older, to neutralize the Five Pointers who were constantly after them, Butch's gang joined forces with the 2000-strong Monk Eastman Gang, which was constantly at war with Paul Kelly's Five Pointers.

This worked well for a while until Butch made the mistake of falling for a female shoplifter named The Darby Kid. Butch loved the The Darby Kid, and apparently The Darby Kid loved Butch. However, The Darby Kid had a jealous boyfriend named Harry the Soldier, who was always packing heat. Harry the Soldier caught up with Butch and shot him dead, which sent The Darby Kid right back into the arms of Harry the Soldier.

With the loss of their leader, the Crazy Butch Gang split up for good. Some went solo and others were absorbed into other Lower East Side gangs. One of the Crazy Butch Gang who made it to the top was Big Jack Zelig, who was known by the police as "The Toughest Man in New York City." Big Jack took over the Eastman gang after Monk Eastman was sent to prison for robbery, and Monk's successor Max "Kid Twist" Zwerbach was shot to death in Coney Island. But alas, on October 15, 1912, Zelig was shot to death himself at the age of 24, while riding the 2nd Avenue Streetcar.

There is no record of what happened to Rabbi, the handbag-snatching dog.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Matthew Charles Johnson says Carl Williams offered him $200k to Kill Former Cop

The trial of Matthew Charles Johnson for the jail house murder of Australian mobster Carl Williams has taken an interesting turn. Even though the murder was caught on tape by prison cameras, and it was obvious Williams was killed from behind by Johnson, who hit him several times with an exercise bike handle, Johnson went on the witness stand and claimed self defense.

Johnson said Williams had offered him $200,000 in reward money if Johnson, when he got out on bail, killed former police detective Paul Dale. Dale had been charged with the murder of police informer Terence Hodson, who was shot dead with his wife in 2004 before he could give evidence against Dale in a burglary case. However, since their was no evidence against Dale, he was never convicted. Williams not only wanted Dale dead, but Williams was also acting as an informer with the local police, by giving false information on Dale's involvement with Hodson's murder.

Johnson said on the witness stand, when he refused Williams offer, he was marked for death. Johnson said Williams had told him that he could get to Johnson's family outside prison too.

Johnson said he had gotten along with Williams just fine until Tommy Ivanovic entered their prison unit. Johnson said Ivanovic and Williams were "like brothers" and Williams wanted to show his close friend he was the boss of the unit. Ironically, it was Ivanovic who told Johnson that Williams planned to kill Johnson by striking Johnson on the head with billiard balls rolled up in a sock.

Before Johnson took the stand, prison security boss Bruce Polkinghorne testified that Johnson was the head of a prison gang called "Prisoners of War." This gang particularly didn't like snitches, and it is the prosecution's contention that Johnson killed Williams not out of fear, but because Williams had become an informer.

The trial continues, but my guess is that the jury won't believe a criminal like Johnson and will buy the prosecution's story instead.

But we'll see. Stranger things have happened where a jury is concerned.

The article below appeared at:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more...

Matthew Charles Johnson says Carl Williams offered him $200k to kill Paul Dale

September 19, 2011 11:56AM

Matthew Charles Johnson is giving evidence as he fights a charge of murdering Williams in their Barwon prison unit last year.

Today he told the jury Williams had made up a story about former detective Paul Dale paying for an informer's murder for personal gains such as getting his sick dad moved into the same unit.

Dale was charged with the murder of police informer Terence Hodson, who was shot dead with his wife in 2004 before he could give evidence against Dale in a burglary case.

Johnson said Williams was not really helping police and had no intention of ever giving evidence.

"He was pulling the wool over their eyes … Then he was going to shaft them," Johnson told the jury.

Johnson said Williams wanted him to go to Wangaratta and kill Dale if he got bail, offering $200,000 for the job in the belief he could still claim the Hodson reward money if Dale died.

But Johnson claims his refusal upset Williams, who said he should be loyal to him.

He said Williams bragged he had Mario Condello killed from inside prison and admitted shooting gangland victims Mark Moran and Richard Mladenich personally.

"Of course I believed him," Johnson said.

"Like I was talking to someone about the footy, he could be talking about someone being murdered."

He said he got along with Williams until Tommy Ivanovic entered the unit.

Ivanovic and Williams were "like brothers" and Williams wanted to show his close mate he was "the boss of the unit", Johnson said.

Williams talked down to him, treated him "second rate" and gave "silly orders", he said.

"Some days he'd just hang shit on me," Johnson said.

Johnson said he wanted to punch Williams many times and would have won a fist fight, but worried about retribution against his family on the outside if he acted against him.

Giving brief answers to questions from his lawyer Bill Stuart, Johnson told the court he had known Williams for about a decade after meeting him in jail.

They had spoken briefly through the cell windows and later Williams sent him a Christmas card when he was bailed, along with his phone number, Johnson said.

They later ended up together in prison again and Williams told him police were offering him inducements.

He said Williams knew he would never get the reward inducements offered.

"Carl knew what he was doing he didn't need instructions from me in dealing with the police," Johnson said.

The jury today watched crime scene footage of Williams' bloodied body as it lay on the floor of the Barwon Prison unit he shared with Johnson and his friend Tommy Ivanovic in April last year.

A copy of the Herald Sun lay open at the page Williams was reading when attacked from behind.

A towel and red clothing covered the pool of blood where the bashing took place.

The jury heard Johnson dragged Williams into his cell after hitting him eight times.

The exercise bicycle stem used to kill him was shown in a nearby laundry area.

The jury also got a detailed view of Williams' cell, including his personal papers and mementoes and a blonde pin-up on the wall.

Johnson's record of interview with police was also shown, with him making "no comment" answers to investigators.

His only answer was that he acted alone.

This morning, the jury was told Johnson was the head of a jail clique that dubbed themselves the "Prisoners of War".

Prison security boss Bruce Polkinghorne told the Supreme Court inmates often banded together in groups with like interests or ethnic backgrounds.

Johnson's group called themselves the "Prisoners of War" and he referred to himself as the general of that group, Mr Polkinghorne said.

Johnson signed off some of his letters from jail "Matty the general" and in one told a friend it was his role to keep things in order.

The court heard the group did not like prisoners who helped police and had "old guard" values.

Williams had been talking with police about matters including their investigation into the 2004 murders of Hodson and his wife Christine at the time of his death.

The jury earlier heard Johnson claimed he killed Williams because their cellmate warned him Williams planned to beat him with a sock filled with billiard balls.

Mr Polkinghorne agreed if Johnson feared for his life he could have called his lawyer or told prison authorities, but he had not raised any concerns about Williams in the lead-up to the bashing.

The trial before justice Lex Lasry is continuing.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Chuck Connors – The Mayor of Chinatown

Chuck Connors was a scam artist of the highest caliber and the most famous white man in Chinatown history. Because of his gregarious nature, Connors was called the "Mayor of Chinatown," even though Chinatown had its own elected Chinese Mayor, Tom Lee, the leader of the On Leong Tong.

George Washington "Chuck" O'Connor claimed he was born on Mott Street in Chinatown, but it is more likely he was born in 1852, in Providence, Rhode island.

Telling the truth was never Connors' strong point.

When Connors was still a teenager, he changed his last name from O'Connor to Connors. Rumor had it that "Connors" had less of an Irish ring to it than "O'Connor," and the Irish were strongly associated with the police, whom Connors had no fondness for.

Connors' early nickname in Chinatown, for some unknown reason, was "Insect," but soon he was called "Chuck" by everyone, because he loved to cook chuck steaks, by hoisting them on a stick, and searing them over small fires he had set in the streets of the Bowery and Chinatown. At various times in his wacky life, Connors was also called the "Sage of Doyers Street," and the "Bowery Philosopher."

As a young boy, Connors enjoyed tormenting the Chinese men by pulling on their pigtails, then making his getaway by sprinting through the streets, usually with an angry Chinaman chasing him with a big knife. As a teenager, Connors learned to speak Chinese, which eventually endeared him to the Chinatown population.

As he grew older, Connors became a professional pugilist, then a bouncer at Scotchy Lavelle's joint at 6 Doyers Sreet. Connors also frequently hung out at Tom Lee's dive at 9 Bowery, affectionately called "The Dump," which was said to have "the dirtiest species of white humanity to be found." (Strangely enough, even though there were dozens of bars in the Chinatown area, some even owned by Chinese men like Tom Lee, hardly any Chinese people frequented these places, preferring opium dens as their mode of relaxation and inebriation.)

During this time, Connors palled around with a Chinatown street thug named Big Mike Adams. Whereby Connors was playfully mischievous concerning his actions with the short and slim Chinese male population, Adams was downright deadly. Working as an enforcer for the local tongs, Adams bragged he killed a slew of Chinese men, by decapitating them with his huge knife. Once in full view of dozens of witnesses, Adams forced three Chinamen onto their knees in broad daylight, then he decapitated them one by one, as the crowd screamed in dismay. Adams' big piece of work was when, working for a rival tong, he decapitated Hip Sing Tong leader Ling Tchen.

After it became clear Adams was out of control, Connors kept his distance. As Adams became more belligerent against the Chinese, Connors developed a closer relationship with them. Adams lost much face when he was attacked on Pell Street by a drunken Hip Sing gangster named Sassy Sam. Adams, supposedly a tough guy, ran through the Chinatown streets screaming like a little girl, as Sassy Sam chased Adams, while swinging a Chinese ceremonial sword. This sign of weakness was Adams' undoing.

A few weeks later, Adams was found gassed to death in his Chinatown apartment. With the windows and doors in Adams' room closed off, someone had inserted a small rubber tube into the room's keyhole. The rubber tube was attached to an open gas jet in the hallway. That someone was believed to have been Chuck Connors, who did the job as a favor to his Chinese friends.

After Adams' death, Connors decided that maybe the street of Chinatown were not too safe for him any more. Adams had friends in Chinatown, and Connors heard rumors that they were gunning for him. His incessant drinking was also a hindrance to Connors' health, so Connors moved uptown to start a new life.

No drinking. No doping. No more heavy-handed work.

Soon, Connors met a woman he liked named Nellie and he married her. To support himself and his wife, Connors took a job as a conductor on the Third Avenue El. During this period of married bliss, Nellie taught Connors how to read and write.

But alas, the education of Chuck Connors came to an abrupt end, when Nellie died suddenly. Connors went back deep into the bottle. One day Connors got so drunk, he was shanghaied onto a ship, which set sail for London, England.

In London, Connors escaped his captors and hid in the inner city of Whitechapel. Connors made friends with the local costermongers, who were people who sold fish and produce from street stands and carts. Connors absorbed and copied the local culture, and when he returned to his old New York haunts, he was dressed smartly in the costermonger attire of bell-bottom trousers, blue stripped shirt, yellow silk scarf and a blue pea coat, resplendent with big pearl buttons, which even traveled down the seams of his trousers. Connors' transformation included a little song he had learned on the other side of the pond:

Pearlies on my front shirt,

Pearlies on my coat,

Little bit of dicer, stuck up on my nut,

If you don't think I'm de real thing,

Why, tut, tut, tut.

The "little bit of dicer" Connors wore on his head was a derby, two sizes too small, instead of the costermonger traditional cap, which was frowned upon by the Bowery residents.

It was around this time that Connors became a bit of an eccentric (if he wasn't one already). With no visible means of support, Connors became best pals with Police Gazette publisher Richard K. Fox. Fox owned a row of buildings on Doyers Street, and he let Connors live at 6 Doyers Street rent free, as long as Fox could regale his readers with the real and imagined exploits of "The Great Chuck Connors." Fox even co-wrote Connors autobiography called "Bowery Life," in which he called Connors the "Mayor of Chinatown," which solidified Connor's reputation for life.

According to Luc Sante's wonderful book about the underbelly of New York City entitled "Low Life," Fox's writings about Connors "was included in a series that otherwise ran mostly to boxing, wrestling, club-swinging, and poker manuals, was illustrated with photographs of Chuck in typical costume striking posses (cigar in corner of mouth; one hand pointing forward with index, or back with thumb; the other hand in coat pocket with thumb sticking out; legs set apart, one forward, one back; pail of beer at the ready)."

The text of Fox's writings is dotted with many of Connors' unique colloquialisms, such as:

Here's to me new graft. I'm one of dose guys now wot gits

ink all over his flippers and looks wise. Say, it's a cinch,

and I've got some of dem blokes wot writes books skinned

a mile.

Or, Connors' musing on what he would do if he became a millionaire:

Me headquarters would be de Waldorf, but I would hev a

telephone station in Chinatown, so I could get a hot chop

suey w'en I wanted it quick. Ev'ry mornin' at 10 o'clock – or

near dere – I'd call up me Chat'am Square agent an' tell

him ter give cologne ter der gals an' segars an' free lunch ter

der gorillas. Ev'ry bloke dat wuz hungry would have a feed

bag an w'enever he wanted it. How does dat grab yer?

With no visible means of legal support, Connors had to find himself a quick way to make a buck. And he did so by becoming, what was called in those days, a "lobbyglow," Chinese slang for "tour guide." Connors worked the Bowery area, where there was some competition for his services. However, Chinatown, because of Connor's closeness to the Chinese leaders, was Connor's exclusive territory. No other lobbyglow would dare enter Chinatown with his customers.

Connors specialized in what was called "the vice tour," where Connors would take his customers to seedy venues to witness the depravity of the Bowery and Chinatown. While other lobbyglows took any curiosity seeker who would pay the freight, Connors, because of his fame as the Mayor of Chinatown, specialized in bringing celebrities from all walks of life on his tours. Some of Connors' customers included Sir Thomas Lipton, novelists Israel Zangwell and Hall Caine, actors Henry Irving, Ellen Terry and Anna Held, and Swedish and Danish royal families. Of course, because of Connors' cache in the Chinatown and Bowery areas, he was able to charge higher prices than his competition, especially to the swells just noted, who could certainly afford it.

During Connors' "vice tour," he would regale his customers with stories of hatchet murders and white slavery. But the highlight of Connor's tour was when he showed his customers the inside of a real-life opium den. These dens, of which Connor's had several, were, in fact, total fakes. Connors employed several Chinese accomplices to stage his fabrications.

Two of his cohorts were George Yee and his wife Blond Lulu. As soon as Connors gave them the secret knock, signaling his impending entrance with his crew, George and Lula would fake a drug-induced stupor, while smoking something purported to be opium, complete with exotic aromas. Then, as the tourist watched in amazement, Connors assistant would proceed with a solemn monologue, spoken through a megaphone, saying, "These poor people are slaves to the opium habit. And whether you came here or not to see them, they would have spent the night smoking opium as you see them doing it now!"

Then on cue, Yee would stop smoking and rise shakily to his feet. Yee would then start dancing slowly, gyrating his body in a suggestive way, while singing a little ditty entitled "Alle Samee Jimmy Doyle." Connors would tell his enthralled customers that this was unimpeachable evidence that Yee had become crazed, due to the effects of his non-stop opium smoking. Then without another word, Connors would lead his crew out of the apartment to a Chinese restaurant, which would complete that particular tour. Meanwhile, George and Blond Lulu would tidy up a bit and get ready for the next go-around, which took place in just a few hours.

Another duo of opium smoking fakes whom Connors employed was a prostitute named "Chinatown Gertie" and her partner (pimp?) Charlie Lee. Gertie's brothel was located at 12 Pell Street, right above "Nigger Mike's" Pelham Saloon. When Gertie's was informed her apartment would be on Connors' tour that day, she immediately canceled any appointments with "customers," and turned her brothel into an phony opium-smoking den. The only problem was that instead of smoking opium, which would have been safer, they smoked molasses, which caused Charlie Lee's premature demise.

When Connors was at the height of his fame, he started the Chuck Connors Association, which was for the benefit (you guessed it) of Chuck Connors himself. The sole purse of the Chuck Connors Association was to throw a yearly gala that was attended by all the local politicians, millionaires, members of most of the city's illustrious clubs, including the Princeton Club and New York Athletic Club, and by anybody in New York City who was somebody.

In December 1903, Connor's held his yearly gala in Tammany Hall on East 14th Street. The joint was jumping with such celebrities as pugilists John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett and Jim Jeffries (who was accompanied by actress Anna Held), French actress Maxine Elliot, as well as millionaire industrialist George F. Train. The music was provided by two bands: Professor Wolf's Orchestra, and to throw a bone to Connors' Chinatown connections, Professor Yee Wah Lung's Chinese Orchestra.

At the time, Connors' main squeeze a charming gal named "Pickles," who was known as the "Belle of Chinatown." Connors being busy with the festivities, Pickles, a tall and buxom broad, arrived at the party at 11pm, accompanied by Ling Quong, the owner of a Chinatown opium den, who barely topped out at five feet. Both were a little drunk on something, liquid or otherwise.

Immediately, Pickles caused a stir at the ball, when she asked a passing older lady, who had her nose up in the air and was in the company of several gentlemen, "Hey sis, have you got any cigarettes?"

The lady stiffened and tried to walk past Pickles, but Pickles would have none of that. She grabbed the lady by the arm and pulled her back. "Go on and give me a pipe. Don't mind dem guys you wid. Give me the pipe!"

The lady finally spoke to Pickles, saying, "My poor girl, I don't smoke cigarettes."

Pickles considered giving the lady the back of her hand, but then she reconsidered and said, "Back to der woods for yours!" The lady and her male crew then scurried away.

Looking around, Pickles realized she was greatly under-dressed for the upcoming march, in which she was supposed to be accompanying Connors. So she conned a young girl, with some loose change no doubt, to lend her the skirt the girl was wearing. While Pickles was in the dressing room changing and sprucing up a bit, Connors began asking around as to Pickles' whereabouts. A young girl in a pink dress told Connors, "My sister Mamie is lending her a blue skirt. Mamie will stay in the dressing room until the march is over."

Minutes later, Pickles made her grand entrance, resplendent in the borrowed skirt which was about six inches too short. She sauntered over to Connors who was waiting, not too patiently, flipped her cigarette to the floor, then said to Connors, "Come on Chuck, yer needn't be ashamed of me. I'd best de looking rag in the hall."

Connors apparently agreed, so he took Pickles by the arm and marched her around the hall, followed by 300, or so well-lit celebrants.

The joint was really jumping, when Carrie Nation made her unexpected and unwelcome appearance. Nation was a highly viable and quite loquacious member of the Ladies Temperance Movement, which opposed alcohol in pre-Prohibition America, as well as the notion of women smoking cigarettes. Nation was quite an imposing figure, standing over six-feel tall and weighing in the neighborhood of 175 pounds. If she were a boxer, male or female, Carrie Nation would certainly be a heavyweight.

At first, Nation was stopped at the door by the bouncers, but Connors, obviously slightly in the bag, went to the door and said, "Sure she can come in. Der are udder automobiles upstairs with loose wheels. Jist step in and help yourself to a twist."

Big Mistake.

Nation immediately stampeded past Connors and hustled to the bar area, where she saw several girls smoking cigarettes. She smacked the cigarettes from the girls hands, and did the same thing to their male counterparts.

"I came here to stop this ball," Nation bellowed to the crowd. "I received a letter from a heart-broken mother about it, and she said her son lost his job by attending it last year. I'm going to break it up!"

Her face beet read, Nation approached a table where ladies were sitting with alcoholic drinks in front of them. Nation brushed the drinks off the table and told the frightened ladies, "You ought to be arrested for drinking!"

Then Nation hurried to the main stage, climbed the steps, and proceeded to read a letter she had received, begging her to stop the Chuck Connors Association Ball.

Connors ordered one of the bands to drown her out by playing a popular song named "Bedilia." The crowd started singing, "Bedelia, I'd like ter steal yer."

Nation stood on the main stage, dumbfounded, as another segment of the crowed chanted, "Put her out! Rats! Rats! Shut her up! Hey! Hey! Hey!"

By this time, Connors knew he had to do something, so he went to the main stage, and induced Nation to leave the stage. Connors walked Nation toward the back door, and told her, "I'd like to introduce you to a little girl who ought to be home in bed."

Outside waiting under the steps leading to the back exit, was none other than Pickles, who screamed up at Nation, "If yer don't git down the stairs in a minute, I'll push your nose through the back of yer neck!"

Pickles hurried up the steps and grabbed Nation by the throat. Connor grabbed both women in a bear hug, and with the help of three bouncers, Carrie Nation was evicted from the premises. After Nation was safely outside, Connors snapped at her, "The street is all yours!"

On May 10, 1913, Chuck Connors returned to his room at 6 Doyers Street, not feeling very chipper. He told Mrs. Chin, who had cared for him the past few years, "I'm not good for several more days."

Mrs Chin immediately summoned Connors' pals from the Chatham Club. When they arrived at Connors' room, Connors told them, "If I am going to cash it, let it be here in Chinatown."

Cooler heads prevailed, and Dr. Shields from the Hudson Street Hospital was immediately summoned. When he arrived at Connors bedside, Dr. Shields discovered that Connors had a severe cash of pneumonia. Connors was rushed to the nearby "House of Relief," but he died just a few hours later at the age of sixty one

Connors funeral procession was one of the finest in Chinatown history. It started in front of Connors' room at 6 Doyers Street, and consisted of sixty three coaches filled with Connors' mourning friends, and an additional six coaches stuffed with floral arrangements. The mourners were a veritable who's who of the political world, the sporting world, and even the underworld. The only relatives in attendance was Connors' brother Philip O'Connor and his sister Mrs. Elizabeth (O'Connor) Miller.

The procession snaked around the streets of Chinatown, then stopped at Transfiguration Church, at 29 Mott Street, for Connors' funeral mass, which was said by Father McCann. After the mass, the procession again winded around the streets of Chinatown, and the Bowery. As Connors' coffins past each establishment, Chinese merchants set off their tradition funeral firework displays, in honor of a white man they considered one of their own.

The funeral procession continued over the newly-built Manhattan Bridge, and ended in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, where Connors was finally interred.

Joe Bruno on the Mob -Corrections on Irish Republican Army Article

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Irish Drug Dealers Targeted by the IRA

I received an email from Ronan Falsey concerning the article below, where I commented on an article posted about the Irish Republican Army. The article appeared in the Irish Republic newspaper. Ronan pointed out some inaccuracies to me which I will attempt to correct.

First of all his brother first name is Dearan, not Darren. Also Dearan was 36 when he passed away, and not 37.

Most importantly, Ronan said his brother was not a drug dealer, and when the Gardi searched his property, they found no evidence of drugs. Also, the IRA issued no statement claiming any responsibility for Dearan's killing, as they usually do. And finally Ronan said Dearan did not have any friend killed for not paying extortion money to the IRA.

Unfortunately, I comment on articles written throughout the world. These newspapers and magazines have fact checkers, so I can only assume what they have written is correct. I'm a one-person operation. And I write one post on my blog a day. It's impossible for me to independently fact check articles that should have been fact checked already.

However, if anyone finds any inaccuracies in what I write, when I take my information from accredited news organizations, I will gladly correct the inaccuracies.

Joe Bruno

====================================================

The moral of this story is not to piss off the Irish Republican Army.

In a move right out the America Mafia, it seems that the IRA has been demanding protection money from every drug dealer in Ireland. The latest drug dealer, who has been killed because he refused to pay up, was Darren Falsey, who was murdered in what the Irish police (gardai) called a "professional hit." The 37-year-old Falsey was shot soon after he returned to his Ashbourne Court home in Carrigaline, County Cork, after having visited a pal in Cork prison.

Last year the Real IRA compiled a list of drug dealers who were slated to be whacked because they had refused to make protection payments. Falsey was not on that original list, but it's likely he was added later, after a friend was killed, reportedly because Falsey's friend had refused to pay extortion money. The gardai then think Falsey was told to pay up a substantial bit of cash (from 50,000 to 80,000 pounds), and when he refused, he was given the same treatment as his pal.

The gardai, putting two and two together, think the IRA has come up with a new way to raise more money for their cause. And who better to extort this money from than drug dealers, who can't run to the police once they've been threatened?

The Irish Independent in the article below say that "Gardai have been carefully monitoring the Real IRA in Cork amid concerns that a new leadership structure is trying to "bolster funding and recruitment levels."

Still, the gardai feel it's part of their job to protect all citizens, even those who ride on the wrong side of the law. So they have contracted numerous drug dealers, whom they believe to be on on the IRA's "hit list," and have advised them to "review their personal security," which is a cute way of saying "Either hide your butt or get the hell out of Dodge City."

Drug dealers, being the hard type of people they usually are, are not likely to listen too closely to the IRA, when the IRA is seeking to dig deeply into their drug profits. So expect a few more Irish drug dealers to bite the dust.

Worse things could happen.

The following article appeared in the Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/national-ne...

DRUG-GANG members who faced death threats last year from the Real IRA are being contacted about their personal safety following the murder of Darren Falsey.

Mr Falsey — who was associated with a major drugs gang on Cork's southside — was murdered last Wednesday in what gardai now consider to have been a professional killing.

The 37-year-old was shot within minutes of returning to his Ashbourne Court home in Carrigaline, Co Cork, having visited a friend in Cork prison that morning.

Gardai are convinced that the killer had the rented house shared by Mr Falsey and his partner, Lorraine, under surveillance for some time.

Detectives are focused on two investigation theories: that the father of two either owed money to a major Cork criminal or was targeted because he refused to pay protection money to a dissident republican cell.

Last year, the Real IRA issued a list of named drug dealers that it threatened to kill.

Mr Falsey's name was not on that list. However, an acquaintance of his was later assaulted in what detectives suspect was an attack by dissident republican supporters.

Gardai conducted raids over the past 18 months in which suspected dissident republican supporters were arrested after intelligence that attacks on named individuals were being planned.

The Real IRA claimed responsibility for the murder of Gerard 'Topper' Staunton (42), who was killed in front of his partner and her child in Wilton, Cork, in January 2010.

Mr Falsey got a bullet in the post last month although he did not subsequently upgrade his personal security.

Gardai are examining claims that attempts were made to extort 'protection money' of €50,000 to €80,000 from Mr Falsey over recent weeks.

Detectives are also trying to determine if other individuals in Cork have received extortion demands or death threats over recent months.

The Irish Independent understands that some individuals will be advised to review their personal security.

Senior gardai are concerned that dissident republicans may believe that extorting money from criminal figures offers a new fundraising avenue.

Gardai have been carefully monitoring the Real IRA in Cork amid concerns that a new leadership structure is trying to bolster funding and recruitment levels.

Source: independent.ie

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Massachusetts State Policeman Angry About How how the FBI Handled Informant Mark Rossetti

It seems to more you read about the antics of the FBI, the more you realized they have their own set of rules, they share with very few law enforcement agencies, if any.

In 1979, William Ames Johnson, a highly decorated state trooper and former Green Beret in Vietnam, was off duty and driving his wife home from work, when a car filled with five thugs cut him off. Next thing Johnson knew, he was being dragged out of the car and beat to once inch of his life, right in front of his wife. One of those men who beat Johnson up was FBI informant Mark Rossetti.

While Rossetti was awaiting trail, he was accused of being ready to get involved in a faux drug deal with Bill McGreal, a state police detective working undercover.

Then, something screwy happened. Rossetti was allowed to plea bargain both cases, and was given no jail time.

Twelve years later, McGreal and Rosettti's paths crossed again. With an FBI agent present, one of McGreal's informants wanted to trade information on Rossetti for a reduced sentence. But the FBI agent turned the deal down flat.

"I'll never forget what the FBI agent told me," McGreal said to the Boston Globe. "He says to me, 'We decided to pass on Rossetti."

Now its become clear the Rossetti, like Whitey Bulger, has been an FBI informant for some time. How long is not totally clear. But Bulger, at the time he went on the lam in 1995, had been an FBI informer for over 30 years. And now there are allegations that the FBI has looked the other way while Rossetti has been committing enough crimes that he was, when arrested recently, the head of a 30-member Massachusetts crime family.

So as McGreal says, the FBI, concerning Rossetti and his shenanigans, has been either incompetent, or arrogant.

Or maybe both.

You can see the article below at the following link:

http://af11.wordpress.com/tag/fbi-inf...

Just another rotten apple in Boston FBI barrel

August 25, 2011 – 2:05 pm

By Peter Gelzinis, Globe

The late William Ames Johnson, a highly decorated state trooper and former Green Beret in Vietnam, was not one to invite trouble. But every now and then, trouble found him. And when it did, Billy never backed down.

Back in September of 1987, Billy Johnson intercepted an FBI informant by the name of James "Whitey" Bulger at Logan Airport. The White Man, who was bound for Montreal with a ton of cash, got jammed up at the screening machines.

Billy was the trooper who answered a radio call and detained Whitey up against a terminal wall, while the FBI's pet gangster peppered him with expletives

Turns out, that wasn't the first time Billy Johnson crossed paths with a thug who'd secured the care and protection of the FBI.

Mark Rossetti is Whitey Bulger redux. This reputed New England Mafia capo and alleged drug dealer, bank robber and extortionist has recently been unmasked as another "prized" FBI informant

But in July 1979, when Mark Rossetti, Michael Rossetti and three other men jumped out of a car in East Boston and beat Billy Johnson with baseball bats, this capo was little more than an ambitious goon.

Johnson was off duty and driving his wife home from work when his car was cut off by five men who beat him nearly to death.

Billy identified Mark and Michael Rossetti, who were charged with assault and battery with intent to murder . . . and set free on $500 cash bail.

While Mark Rossetti was awaiting trial for the assault on Johnson, he was accused of being poised to enter into a drug deal with Bill Mc-Greal, a state police detective working undercover.

"This guy (Rossetti) was straight out of central casting," recalled McGreal, who is now retired. "He says to us, 'If something goes wrong . . . something is gonna go seriously wrong with youse guys.' "

Both Rossettis copped a plea in the Johnson beating, halting any future dealings with the undercover cop.

A dozen years later, McGreal would take an FBI special agent to a jail cell where one of McGreal's informants hoped to trade his freedom by offering up Mark Rossetti.

"I'll never forget what (the agent) told me," McGreal said. "He says to me, 'We decided to pass on Rossetti.' "

Much like the Whitey saga, it was a state police investigation that exposed Mark Rossetti's cozy relationship with the Sons of Hoover.

What eats at Bill McGreal now is that the FBI would protect a reputed gangster who pummeled a fellow statie. "When you take on an informant, you always check their record," McGreal said. "The FBI had to have seen the assault with intent to murder in Rossetti's file."

If they never bothered to ask Rossetti who he tried to kill, they were either incompetent, or arrogant.

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Genovese Mobster Gets Life Sentence

Nothing gets a prosecutor's rocks off better than putting a Mafia bigwig in jail for life.

This is not excusing the crimes of Arthur Nigro. He was found guilty of ordering the 2003 murder of Massachusetts crime boss Adolfo (Big Al) Bruno (No relation). And bad guys like this deserve to get put away. But I still have to snicker at the remarks made at Nigro's sentencing by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

Bharara, who was born in Punjab, India said, "The catalog of vicious and lethal crimes committed by these three defendants provides a stark reminder of the lengths to which the mob will go to protect their turf and exact revenge. With today's sentences, these men will now be put out of the Mafia's ugly and violent business for life."

I just wish for once, American law enforcement would put just as much time and energy in the arrest and prosecution of criminals of all nationalities, not just Italian/Americans. The Albanian, Russian, Chinese, Mexican, Dominican, and West Indian gangsters in America are just as violent, if not more so, than the Italian Mafia.

But I keep forgetting, Mafia makes headlines and advances the careers of all involved in their arrest and prosecution. The other nationalities get much less attention, and when they are arrested and convicted, it makes maybe page 10 in American newspapers, if it gets any press at all

Mafia makes PAGE ONE.

Just the simple truth.

The article below can be viewed at:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_cr...

One-time Genovese mob boss Arthur Nigro gets life for ordering hit

BY Scott Shifrel

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, September 13th 2011, 4:00 AM

The one-time acting head of the Genovese crime family was sentenced to life Monday for ordering a Massachusetts mob hit.

Arthur Nigro, 67, of the Bronx, was convicted of ordering the slaying of Massachusetts crime boss Adolfo (Big Al) Bruno.

Two others, triggerman Ty Geas, 39, and his brother, Fotios (Freddy) Geas, 44, both of West Springfield, Mass., also got life sentences for the 2003 hit.

All three were convicted at an April trial of murder, racketeering and other charges for killing Bruno and conspiring to kill two other men, Gary Westerman and Louis Santos, who they believed ratted them out to the FBI.

"The catalogue of vicious and lethal crimes committed by these three defendants provides a stark reminder of the lengths to which the mob will go to protect their turf and exact revenge," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

"With today's sentences, these men will now be put out of the Mafia's ugly and violent business for life."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_cr...

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Man Says FBI Screwed Him Out of $2 Million Reward For Bulger Capture

If I were Keith Messina, I'd be pissed at the FBI too.

In 2008, a full three years before Boston mob boss/FBI informant Whitey Bulger was found in Santa Monica, California, Messina ran across Bulger on the pier in Santa Monica, just three blocks from where Bulger was arrested with his girlfriend Catherine Greig in early 2011.

Messina was vacationing in Sana Monica with his wife and three children, when he spotted a tanned, shirtless elderly man, dressed in shorts, sporting a gold necklace, and holding a book, leaning against a post on the pier. Messina was wearing a Boston Celtic jersey, and as he passed, Messina said the elderly man yelled at him, "Where are you from, Boston? (Why Bulger, who was supposed to be in hiding, would start a conversation with a stranger in Santa Monica, is hard to believe., but apparently true.)

The two men allegedly started talking Boston sports, and when Messina left, he realized he had been talking to Whitey Bulger, a man wanted by the FBI for 13 years at the time. Messina immediately called a tip into Fox's America's Most Wanted, and was assured the tip was passed on to the FBI. But Messina never heard from the FBI, and was startled to find out Bulger had been arrested in 2011, exactly where Messina had told America's Most Wanted Bulger could be found.

When Messina contacted the FBI for the $2 million reward, he was told that someone from Iceland had provided them the tip in 2011, after they had watched a TV advertisement, paid for by the FBI with taxpayers money, targeting Greig, rather than Bulger. The FBI said that the unidentified person, allegedly a lady who had met Greig in Santa Monica, had already been paid the money Messina thought was rightfully his.

"They would have caught him years ago but nobody called me in regards to my tip," Messina said during a telephone interview with The Boston Globe.

So if Messina is telling the truth, and nobody seems to be contradicting him, the FBI spent millions of taxpayer money for three years, when they could have found Bulger when Messina first contacted America's Most Wanted in 2008.

Someone once told me the F-B-I stood for "Famous But Incompetent." I'm starting to believe that might not be far from the truth.

The article below can be found at:

http://www.boston.com/

FBI paid $2 million reward to tipster for Bulger's capture, says Las Vegas man

The FBI has quietly paid an unidentified tipster the $2 million reward for information that led to the capture of fugitive gangster James "Whitey" Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, in June in Santa Monica, Calif., according to a man who tried to claim the money.

The FBI has promised confidentiality to the tipster, who has been identified by law enforcement officials as a woman in Iceland, and refused to comment today on the reward.

But a Las Vegas man, who was seeking all or part of the reward, said today that the FBI notified him that his claim had been denied and the money had already been paid to someone else.

"They said they already paid it … They were writing the check out,'' said Keith Messina, 45, who called America's Most Wanted in 2008 to report he had spotted Bulger, one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted, on the Santa Monica Pier. "The feds are saying we want to hide whoever it is [who got the money]. What's there to hide?''

A spokesman at FBI headquarters said, "We've been told to refer any calls about the reward to the US Attorney's office.''

"At this time, we cannot discuss any details about the reward, including whether or not it was paid and to whom. The FBI was clear from the beginning that protecting the identity of the tipster was paramount, and information related to the reward will be released if and when the time is appropriate," said US attorney's spokeswoman Christina DiIorio Sterling.

"The people in Boston deserve to get the right answer,'' said Messina, questioning why the tip leading to Bulger's arrest and the reward, funded by taxpayers, has been shrouded in secrecy. "They ignored my lead. The question is: Why?"

Messina said the FBI never called him about his tip that he spotted Bulger in Santa Monica three years ago, even though he left his name and cell phone number with staff at Fox's America's Most Wanted, who told him they had passed it along to the agency.

Messina said he was vacationing in California with his wife, Tonya, and three children, when he spotted a tanned, shirtless elderly man, dressed in shorts, sporting a gold necklace, and holding a book, leaning against a post on the pier.

When a young man wearing a Boston jersey passed by, Messina said the elderly man he believed was Bulger shouted to the passerby, "Where are you from in Boston?" and struck up a conversation about the city.

On June 22, the FBI arrested Bulger and Greig at a rent-controlled apartment at 1012 Third Street in Santa Monica, within walking distance of the pier, where they had been living since at least 1998 as Charlie and Carol Gasko.

"They would have caught him years ago but nobody called me in regards to my tip," Messina said during a telephone interview with The Boston Globe today.

The FBI said the tip that led to the capture was called in to the FBI field office in Los Angeles a day before the arrests as a result of a new publicity campaign launched by the bureau. The blitz featured a 30-second television spot publicizing the worldwide manhunt for the couple and aired during commercial breaks of daytime television shows such as, "The View," "Ellen," and "Live with Regis & Kelly."

The commercial spots focused more on the 60-year-old Greig, who was viewed as more sociable and distinct-looking than Bulger, who turned 82 this month. They noted that there was a $2 million reward offered for information leading to the capture of Bulger, a fugitive since 1995, and the reward for Greig, wanted for harboring a fugitive, was increased from $50,000 to $100,000. The spots were not aired in the Santa Monica or Los Angeles area.

Bulger, a longtime FBI informant, fled Boston in early 1995 to avoid federal racketeering charges and was later charged with the 19 slayings.

Law enforcement officials said the the tip leading to the couple's arrest came from a woman from Iceland who had crossed paths with the fugitives in Santa Monica and was watching CNN when she saw a story about the new FBI campaign targeting the couple and recognized them.

There was a brief hearing today in Bulger's case in US District Court in Boston, but the gangster was not present. Bulger's lawyer said he needed more time to sift through the mountains of documents that prosecutors have turned over in preparation for trial and the next hearing date in the case was set for Nov. 21.

Bulger is being held at the Plymouth County jail, while Greig is being held at a jail in Rhode Island.

After today's hearing, Boston attorney J.W. Carney Jr. ,who represents Bulger, told reporters his client is "doing fairly well. He is being treated fairly and professionally by the [Plymouth County] sheriff's office. I have no complaints.''

Despite the brevity of the hearing and the absence of Bulger, some relatives of the people Bulger allegedly murdered made it a point to be in court today, including Patricia Donahue, widow of Dorchester truck driver Michael Donahue, and the couple's adult son, Thomas.

"We want to know what's going on, whether he's [Bulger] here or not,'' said Thomas Donahue, whose father was allegedly shot to death in 1982 by Bulger because he gave a ride to another man targeted for death, Brian Halloran."We've been waiting 30 years. We can wait a little longer. Hopefully, in November, there can be more information.''

Source: boston.com

Joe Bruno on the Mob – Whitey Bulger's Attorney Buried in Avalanche of Evidence

If you think the prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Boston have flimsy evidence against Mob Boss/Rat Whitey Bulger, think again.

Bulger's court appointed attorney J.W. Carney has received thousands of pages of evidence against Bulger in the Discovery Process leading up to Bulger's trial. Included in the evidence is information on the 19 murders Bulger, the former head of the Winter Hill Mob, was allegedly involved with.

"It was taller than I am," said Bulger's attorney Carney, talking about the mounds of evidence he's received. "And I've been told I can expect more."

Because of the sheer mass of evidence released to Carney, he has been given more time to review everything, so that he can properly prepare for Bulger's trial. A status conference is set for November 21, which gives Carney a little over two months to do some heavy reading.

Carney, a top criminal attorney, was appointed by the state to represent Bulger. And Bulger will not pay Carney even a single dime, since the state is picking up the tab for Carney's services.

Think what you may about Bulger, but even an arch-criminal like Bulger deserves the best defense he can possibly receive, so down the line, some poor Joe Schmoe doesn't get railroaded by the government for a crime he didn't commit.

This is the price we have to pay in a civilized society, to put criminals in jail, and keep innocent people out of jail.

The two articles below can be seen at:

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional...

and

http://bostonherald.com/news/regional...

Feds release mountain of evidence in 'Whitey' Bulger case

By Marie Szaniszlo

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 -

Prosecutors have turned over thousands of pages of evidence against former reputed Southie mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, with more to come.

At a brief status hearing this morning in U.S. District Court in Boston, Bulger's attorney said he had received a "significant" amount of discovery, which he will review over the next two months.

"It was taller than I am," Bulger's attorney, J.W. Carney, said outside court. "I've been told I can expect more."

After another status hearing was set for Nov. 21, family members of Bulger's alleged victims left court hungry for answers.

"We've been waiting for 30 years," said Thomas Donahue, whose father Michael was killed allegedly by Bulger. "It means everything to my family to get more information."

"They have an obligation to let us all know the truth," said Steven Davis, whose sister, Debra, was killed in 1981. "I want revenge. My sister should be here today. That guy had no right to take anyone's life."

Bulger is charged in connection with 19 murders in all. He was a fugitive for more than 16 years, until his capture with longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig in June in Santa Monica, Calif.

Bulger lawyers get more time to look at evidence

By Associated Press

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

BOSTON — Lawyers for former reputed crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger have been given more time to review a "massive" amount of evidence turned over by prosecutors.

Bulger's lawyers said Wednesday the government has given them a huge pile of documents and other materials that may be used during Bulger's trial. The former leader of the Winter Hill Gang is charged in connection with 19 murders. He was not in court.

Attorney J.W. Carney Jr. said the defense has begun to go through the discovery materials, but needs more time. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler scheduled a status conference for Nov. 21.