Results tagged “fbi”

Despite being the subject of a high-profile corruption probe, City Councilor Chuck Turner easily won Tuesday's preliminary election with 52% in a four-candidate race. Turner reportedly told the Herald "This is a mandate for me to fight back. They’re saying, ‘Keep on fighting.’" Turner was at federal court before Judge Timothy Hillman for a hearing regarding his access to the government documents the indictment is based on. Turner can gain access to the documents if he agrees not to leak them. Turner won't agree to the gag order, saying “They would have to put me in jail." Last week, Turner criticized the FBI for their handling, or not handling, the ongoing City Hall “e-mail-gate” scandal.

The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $102 million ruling against the government on Thursday. The money was awarded to Joseph Salvati, Peter Limone and the families of Henry Tameleo and Louis Greco after the District Court ruled in 2007 that the FBI withheld evidence that proved Salvati, Limone, Tameleo and Greco weren't involved in the 1965 killing of Edward "Teddy" Deegan. The four men spent decades in prison, and Tameleo and Greco died behind bars. two who died there -- for a murder they didn't commit. Juliane Balliro, who represented the families of Limone and Tameleo, said the men were considered "collateral damage" as they pursued cases against the Mafia in the 1960s. Limone was awarded $26 million and Salvati got $29 million, while the estates of Greco and Tameleo received $28 million and $13 million, respectively.

Today may be the hottest day of the summer. How are Bay Staters reacting to it? Well, earlier today, Bostonist happily wrote about city pools staying open so we can beat the heat. Mayor Thomas Menino knows how to keep voters residents happy duuring a heat emergency. Everyone is not as lucky. After Cambridge struggled to keep Veterans Memorial Pool at Magazine Beach open longer, the pool was closed today after a chlorine spill. Across the state, 21 of 27 pools run by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation are closed for the summer due a lifeguard shortage.

Jenni Brennan's emotion changed from disbelief to anger once she realized a picture of her seven-month old son Jacob really was being used in an apparent international adoption scam using, you guessed it, Craigslist. The picture of her son came with the claim that he was Canadian born and living at an orphanage in Cameroon and that $300 would begin the adoption process. She called the FBI and the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. Yahoo! closed the e-mail account used in the posting. The picture was taken from the family's blog. Access to photos has since been restricted. "I never thought something like this would happen," said the mother. Unfortunately, people need to assume it will happen.

MBTA cops have to deal with a lot of gropers during their career, but, for a few misfortunate women, the groping might start all too soon. In police academy. The Globe reports that the FBI has been investigating allegations that superior officers at the T police academy coerced female recruits into having sex, which, if true, would be violations of the cadets' civil rights. The T maintains that it has received no complaints of impropriety but that it will cooperate with the Feds. Can the agency do anything right? [Globe]

Courts are busy and backed up. Ever wonder why?

According to the Globe, state senator Dianne Wilkerson's longtime political pal Ron Wilburn may have been the "cooperating witness" (CW) behind the FBI operation against Wilkerson. The FBI isn't revealing its sources, but Wilkerson aides claim--and FBI footage seems to confirm--that Wilburn is the man who bribed Wilkerson to get him a liquor license.

If you can't keep track of the cast surrounding State Senator Dianne Wilkerson's arrest on federal bribery charges and subsequent decision to continue the sticker campaign to retain her seat, you are not alone. Bostonist's head has been swimming for days.

Despite pending federal charges, State Sentaor Dianne Wilkerson will continue her sticker campaign to retain her seat. The most infamous stuffed shirt in Boston is currently out on a $50,000 bond while awaiting a Federal corruption trial for allegedly accepting $23,500 in bribes.

Massachusetts state senator Dianne Wilkerson was released on a $50,000 bond today after being arrested on charges of extortion. No word on how much, if any, of that bond was paid in bra money. The Herald shows Wilkerson sipping water after her court appearance; apparently arrest can be just as nerve-wracking as (allegedly) accepting bribes. Wilkerson did not enter a plea at today's hearing, and has another court date in Worcester on November 17. Stay hydrated, Dianne.

The Globe prints the soon-to-be-notorious FBI Government Exhibit "D," an image of Dianne Wilkerson allegedly stuffing her bra with cash.

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, who has suffered a volley of ethics charges over the past year, was arrested this morning by FBI agents, numerous sources are now reporting. According to the Globe, Wilkerson faces charges that she accepted more than $23,000 in bribes from undercover agents during a series of meetings. In one ignoble instance, she was recorded stuffing $1,000 cash into her bra at fancy bistro No. 9 Park, authorities say. Wilkerson, an attorney, also faces disbarment for an unrelated perjury accusation. A State Senator of 15 years, Wilkerson lost August's Democratic primary for her seat to Sonia Chang-Diaz. Wilkerson was running a sticker campaign to defeat Chang-Diaz in the general election.

Alleged Bulger buddy John Connolly is in court today in Miami on murder charges. The former FBI agent is suspected of offering information he knew would lead to a killing. Already in prison for racketeering, Connolly would remain locked up for life if convicted of murder. Most of the key witnesses against Connolly are former gangsters themselves, which may cast a shadow on their credibility. The whole situation is messy, and Whitey's still nowhere to be found.

Today is Whitey Bulger's 79th birthday. To celebrate, the FBI is doubling the reward for his capture. You'll take home a cool $2 million if you can bring Whitey into the fed's hands. Considering Whitey's fundage, though, the man could pay you way more to not turn him in. So what'll it be? Can Whitey make it to fourteen years on the run, or will the two mil prove too tempting? Update: Bulger is now also wanted for sexual abuse in addition to murder and racketeering charges.

...including, possibly, cover-ups. The Globe reports that the medical files of three Boston jakes who had claimed career-ending injuries cannot be found by FBI agents investigating improper disability claims. Samuel Tyler, president of Boston Municipal Research Bureau, a business-funded watchdog group put it drolly, "The suspicious disappearance of the files would seem to reaffirm suspicions that some of the injuries being investigated by the US attorney may not have been legitimate."

The Boston Fire Department thought they had problems with Mayor Tom Menino when they were resistant to random drug testing. Now the federal government has reason to investigate them. It appears that some firefighters have been making disability claims at higher rates by claiming that they were filling in for a supervisor, hence making more money and getting more in their pensions.

--The search for the Northeastern student who had been missing since the day after the Super Bowl has ended. BPD detectives tracked him to Paris, France, and he has now contacted his parents to let him know that he is well. He better bring some baguettes back for his parents and the BPD. [BPD News]

--Note to European officials: Next time you think you've got Whitey Bulger on your hands, make sure it's really him. Two people from Germany just announced that they're the people in the video circulated the FBI, which has led to the frequent hassling of innocent tourists. [Boston Globe]

After Randy Moss vigorously defended himself after a woman in Florida served him with a temporary restraining order, the woman's lawyer, David McGill, provided a different story.

--Dr. Judah Folkman, who found a new way of fighting cancer by cutting off blood supply to tumors, died yesterday. [Boston Globe]

What does one get a missing mobster on the anniversary of his vanishing? A Hallmark card? One that says, "Thanks for leaving"?

Ever get the feeling that life is turning into one long "Family Guy" episode? Particularly the episode in which the FBI shoots up Peter's VCR because he tries to tape "Monday Night Football"? The New England Patriots will finish up their regular season against the New York Giants Saturday, December 29, at 8:00 pm. Chances are good that they will win and enjoy a perfect record. But not everyone will be able to see it.

--George Costanza has been robbing banks in the area. Maybe he's short on cash for Festivus gifts?

--A woman from Blackstone was hit and killed by a snowplow. 50-year-old Rita Plante had to walk on the road after parking her car and heading to her home. According to O'Ryan Johnson, "Plante carried groceries and walked with her back to traffic when authorities said a white Ford extended-cab pick-up truck with a plow struck her from behind about 5:30 p.m."

Blue Velvet and The Twin Peaks Pilot Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge Monday, December 3 Tickets and showtimes It's not on any wall calendars, but December 3rd is David Lynch Day in Cambridge, at least according to the Brattle Theatre. Last year, Lynch debuted Inland Empire at the Brattle, and the Cambridge city council honored the director by giving him his own day. This year, the Brattle will celebrate by offering theatergoers a pair...

Federal Judge Reginald C. Lindsay is sick of hearing lawsuits from victims of the Bulger gang. Yesterday, Lindsay granted a motion for summary judgment against the FBI in lawsuits filed by widows of Brian Halloran and Michael Donahue, two men killed in 1982 by James "Whitey" Bulger and accomplices. But that's not all. With at least four additional wrongful death lawsuits brought by survivors of Bulger's victims still pending, Lindsay wants the FBI to put...

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2007 Recap from Super!Alright! on Vimeo. Austinist attended a town hall meeting about proposed noise ordinances that could undermine the city's future as the Live Music Capital of the World, and lamented the possible loss of Texas's only feminist bookstore. Throughout the week, they interviewed a bunch of indie fashion designers and D-I-Y websites—Etsy, Ornamental Things, 31 Corn Lane, and Aorta Designs—for the upcoming Stitch Fashion Show. They also did...

Remember the crooked BPD cops who finally got snared by the FBI when they offered to protect a shipment of cocaine? It was clear they weren't nice guys, but one of them is so crooked and so flagrant about it that it's like he came straight out of a clichéd cop television show. And not a good cop show, either. The Herald had a field day once its writers got their mitts on taped phone...

--Don't eat the yellow pills: "Mixing cough syrup, Vicodin or Lipitor with cat litter is the new advice on getting rid of unused medications. Preferably used cat litter." [WCVB] --Another BPD (pardon us, ex-BPD) officer has pled guilty to protecting shipments of cocaine. Unfortunately for him, the people shipping the cocaine were undercover FBI. [Boston Globe] --A boiler explosion in Salem sends three people to the hospital. [WCVB] --A huge sinkhole in the middle of...

BulgerMania seems to have broken out in Italy because police are seeing Whitey Bulger and his girlfriend everywhere. Even if you don't look like Whitey Bulger but happen to be an old white guy, do not go to Italy. The FBI posted an image and video of a distinguished-looking white couple strolling through Italy. And, what do you know, distinguished-looking white guys who don't even look like Bulger are getting hassled. Earlier this month, poor...