Finally after decades at the helm of Boston’s criminal underworld, 16 years on the run, and a summer-long trial, James “Whitey” Bulger will begin the sentencing phase of his court proceedings tomorrow. Back in August, Bulger, 81, was found guilty on 31 out of 32 charges levied against him which could have him spend the rest of his life in prison. The charges included racketeering, extortion, money laundering, and his participation in murder.
The sentencing will take place at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston’s Seaport, where just today the defense team of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev argued that the accused’s detainment was cruel and unconstitutional.
Among the spectators in the audience will be the relatives of victims Bulger was accused of, and subsequently acquitted of, killing. Earlier in October Bulger’s defense team petitioned to prohibit this group from addressing the court, despite the urging of the prosecution to do so, though the presiding justice, Judge Denise Casper, has yet to make clear whether or not this will take place.
Steve Davis, the brother of one of those Bulger was accused, but acquitted of murdering, told NBC News “I have the right to speak! Let me put it this way: I will be speaking.”
The prosecution is seeking back-to-back life sentences for Bulger, despite his age, while the defense has yet to submit a sentencing memo of their own.
The trial, which costs taxpayers upwards of $2.6 million, captivated viewers nationwide due to Bulger’s notorious status in local lore, theatrical outbursts in the courtroom, and an eerie lack of remorse expressed by the the accused.
After 16 years on the run as the FBI’s most wanted fugitive, Bulger was found hiding out in Santa Monica, CA, along with his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig, 30 guns, a facsimile hand grenade, eight knives, a Taser and $821,799.49 in cash.
The Boston Herald notes that the federal government has determined that Bulger’s Southie-based organized crime network obtained $25.2 million from 1972 to 2000. The only issue is that the hefty sum has yet to be located. Pending a subpoena by a grand jury, investigators will attempt to account for every last cent Bulger is thought to have accrued as a mobster.
According to the Providence Journal, the government has also proposed that the more than $800K be distributed evenly amongst the families of Bulger’s victims.
