Welcome back to part two of the Whitey Bulger update. I ended last week with the question of who might stand to profit from this black eye in Boston’s history. During my extended stay during his sentencing I learned a lot that wasn’t always widely known or publicized and that’s where I’ll start this week. Everyone’s wondering where Whitey’s money is and who’s going to be able to benefit from it…….
The crooked FBI guys are either in jail or dead but what about Whitey’s girlfriend Catherine McGonagle who got eight years? Well my friends that’s a big maybe that will be revealed in the future. The former dental hygienist turned gangster squeeze could tell quite a story that might include an arrest in Bartlesville that has really gone unnoticed. Another little known fact about profiting from crime: in Massachusetts it’s legal. Yes, she could write a book and collaborate on a film and be paid!
Whitey’s defense attorney J.W. Carney has already confirmed that Whitey has agreed to tell his story to 60 Minutes and after Carney and I spoke I’m sure the public has not heard the last of this.
Many of Whitey’s associates during his reign as a crime boss have cooperated with law enforcement and testified against him to avoid the death penalty or long prison terms. Stephen Flemmi is serving a life sentence for the murder of Debbie Davis. Another gang hit man, John Martorano is free and walking the streets of Boston after selling the rights to his life story. Other associates are also free thanks to a law from the 60s and 70s that imposed a statue of limitations on charges of being an accessory to murder. Putting it bluntly you could help kill someone and if you weren’t charged within a set period of time, charges could no longer be filed. The law was the same here in Oklahoma but it has since been changed so there is no longer a stature of limitations wither here or in Massachusetts.
That doesn’t help the families of the gang’s victims from those days and David Wheeler, the son of slain Tulsa businessman, Roger Wheeler blames corrupt cops for not bringing these murderers to justice. As for the Boston journalist, TV and radio personality Howie Carr, who has written several books about the gang and is said to have a price on his head, I asked him one last question about self protection as he doesn’t carry a gun.
“If they’re going to get you ,” he responded, “it doesn’t matter how big a gun you buy, they will have a bigger one!” After reading his books I understand why Whitey wanted him dead.
I’ll end this week by telling you about my request to visit Whitey in Oklahoma City.
Although his attorney says Whitey would like to speak with the media, apparently the federal marshals have refused to allow him to do so. According to his lawyer, there may be a lawsuit as a result.
Since I haven’t been able to speak with him yet, I have tired to put myself in Whitey’s shoes. Those shoes are locked up in a 6’x16’ cell with a tile floor, a metal bunk bed, a latrine and a sink. The bunk bed came with a two inch mattress, a cover and blankets. He was also given a towel, a toothbrush and a bar of soap.
On a sad note this week, local nursery and landscaping legend Mark Yorman died last Thursday taking some history with him. Back in the 1960s Mark’s dad had the landscaping contract for Phillips Petroleum Company and come summer every boy who could handle a lawn mower had a job. At Christmas time Yorman Nurseries was the place to get your tree and they would hire area auctioneer Smokey Hand to drive a semi up north to Wisconsin for a load of fresh cut trees. Mark will be missed and I will have more on this subject at a later date.
Till next week I’ll see ya down the road…..