In a shocking twist at the Moakley US District Courthouse this morning, James “Whitey” Bulger offered up some serious cash on one surprisingly thoughtful condition: the money must go to families of his alleged victims. Bulger had $822,000 in cash hidden in the walls of his California home, where he resided with girlfriend Catherine Greig until he was captured in 2011. He has said that he will willingly give that sum of money, before it is lawfully seized by the government, if and only if it goes to the relatives of two men he is accused of killing while working as an FBI informant.
The defense attorney made this unusual request on behalf of his client in Friday morning’s motions, proving today to be one of the most captivating days in the courtroom: Bulger must announce today whether or not he will testify. If he chooses to take the stand, his testimony will start today.
While Bulger has nineteen murders racked up on this 32-count indictment tab, two alleged victims stand out: Michael Donahue and Edward “Brian” Halloran. Their families filed lawsuits against the corrupt FBI for protecting Bulger in the 1980s. According to Boston.com, both suits were thrown out of federal court due to their breach of the statue of limitations after being “aggressively pushed” by the Justice Department. Other families have filed lawsuits due to crimes allegedly committed by Bulger and won: the defendant specified that his money go to the families whose claims were thrown out by the 1st Circuit.
Tom Donahue, son of Michael Donahue, told Globe staffers in the courtroom that he was “overwhelmed” by Whitey’s offer. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
US District Attorney Brian Kelly spoke on behalf of the prosecution after the wish was made, stating that it has always been the government’s intention to give Bulger’s wads of cash to families of his victims. However, the defendant cannot dictate which ones. If Bulger is convicted, the government would seize all of his assets acquired through illegal activities.
Maybe the mobster has a heart, after all. If you want more proof, check out the family photos the defense team submitted as evidence yesterday (spoiler: Bulger apparently really likes farm animals and puppies).
For all of BostInno’s coverage of the Whitey Bulger trial, click here.
Update 8/2/13, 11:41 am: Whitey Bulger has decided not to testify
