James "Whitey" Bulger Attorneys' File for Appeal

After last weeks sentence came down of two life sentences + five years, Whitey Bulger was shuffled off to jail, but he would not go silently. Even though he stuck with the crime code of silence through out his trail and even at his sentencing, his attorneys did the talking for him.

Late Wednesday a one sentence appeal was filed in court, stating that it was against the law to imprison Bulger for he was acting as an informant for a federal-prosecutor who granted him immunity, and was okayed by the prosecutor to commit the crimes that he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison for.

Bulger calls the trial a sham, and his attorneys are saying that it is unfair they were unable to use the testimony of the federal prosecutor that supposedly gave him the ok to commit these crimes, due the fact that he was dead.

From most accounts it sounds like the appeal will probably go over like a led balloon. Whitey's handlers were corrupt federal agents taking bribes from him, so even if they were to testify it probably would not hold a lot of weight.

James "Whitey" Bulger Sentenced

Like with most Crime Bosses of this century, James "Whitey" Bulger found himself looking at an indictment that would threaten life in prison.


And on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, Judge Denise Casper, took the pleasure of putting the crime boss away with a sentence of two consecutive life terms plus five years. Before the Judge handed down the sentence she expressed her displeasure, "The testimony of human suffering that you and your associates inflicted on others was at times agonizing to hear and painful to watch,"

The two life sentences came from an indictment of racketeering that included murder, extortion, money-laundering and weapons charges. Of 19 slayings the prosecution was accusing Whitey of, the jury found him guilty of 11. 

On Wednesday, the court got to hear from a dozen people with victim impact statements. Most were people that were directly affected by his criminal activities including family of slaying victims -- calling him a punk, a terrorist, a sociopath and even Satan. 

Whitey was a rare crime boss. He ran a criminal organization, but unlike most bosses he was hands on. He ordered and joined in on criminal activity on a regular basis including murder. Although Whitey thought of himself as a modern day Robbin Hood, his criminal activity effected all walks of life even the innocent. 

Much of the public never thought the FBI would ever catch up to the 84 year old, especially after making it on the lamb for 16 years before he was finally picked up. Just under Osama Bin Laden, Whitey spent many years on the FBI top ten most wanted list. In 2001, FBI found him in a Santa Monica, Cal. hideaway with his girlfriend.

Possibly what kept Whitey's rain of terror lasting for so long is his corrupt FBI handler, Former Boston FBI agent John Connolly Jr. So long as Whitey was informing on the New England mob, Whitey's rivals, Connolly Jr. would tip off Whitey anytime there was trouble coming his way to help him stay one step in front of the law and his rivals.  

There is still a lot of money missing that the authorities probably will never find. A gangster like Whitey, who after hearing all of the evidence against him still maintained his innocent and called the whole trail a shame, someone so true to his roots will die with his money.    

The Italian Mob: 5 Reason for Their Downfall

  1. Lengthy prison sentences.
Back in the day spending a 3 year bit in prison for things such as assault and extrusion was nothing for a gangster. But now with new laws and the common breaking of the no selling drugs rules that the mob has, but does not enforce, it's not unheard of to be facing 10 to 30 years if your crimes are attached to the RICO act. Worst off that's on the light side, 60 to life is more of a fitting sentence for being involved in a continuing criminal conspiracy.



2. Prison ain't what it used to be.
Let's say you bit the bullet and take one for the team. Back in the days doing a nickel or a dime in prison was like heading out to the country club for a little bit. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some pictures of mobsters in prison before the 80's, you would notice big smiles, grommet meals, wine, cigars and smiling faces. The Italian mob ran the prisons so it was like going to a country club. Nowadays it's ran by the guards and street gangs. Italian mobster or not, you get a small cell and crappy food just like everyone else. Even John Gotti took a beating on the inside by the Aryan Brotherhood: they had no problem with saying, those mobsters may run the outside, but we run the inside.

3. You and your family will not be taken care of.
One of the rules of the Mob is that if you are a stand up guy and go do your prison term like a man your family will be watched over and taken care of. Nowadays if you head off to prison you and your family are all alone. Not only that, but whatever you did to earn money will be taken over by your so called brothers with no kick backs to you or your family, not even your wife is consider yours and off limits. 

4. Technology
Obviously, technology has thrown a few curve balls at the mob. Security, computers, alarm systems, international data bases, face recognition software are just some of the things that get in the way of not just the Mob but all criminals and criminal organizations alike. 



5. Loyalty and Honor 
These are two words a "Made" man needs to live by, but when bosses are being whacked, Made men disappear, families fight families and snitches (turn coats) are a dime a dozen, a life in the mob just doesn't sound so great. But what does sound great, "The Witness Protection Program". The truth is, contrary to what movies and television shows would like you to believe about low level mobsters, which make up for most of the Mob, most of then don't even make as much as an average factory or office worker. Picking up and leaving the mob life; not that hard. 
  
 

Albert "High Lord Executioner" Anastasia

Umberto Anastasia was born September 26, 1902 in Tropea, Italy. On October 25, 1957, in New York City, New York, Anastasia, than one of the most powerful Mafia bosses in the city was gunned down in a barber shop.

Anastasia's Start

Growing up fast in Calabria, Italy, Anastasia had it rough. He only got to the fifth grade before needing to dropout of school to go work to help out his family. After working numerous jobs, Anastasia and his brothers found work on a ship as a deckhand Men. A rough and dangerous job that would end up paying off in the end. This deckhand job would eventually lead him to his stomping ground in New York City, where he became one of the most brutal crime boss ever to exist in the Italian mafia.

The first showing of how tough he really was, came in 1921. Anastasia got into a fight with a man he claimed was steeling the better dock jobs from him and his fellow workers. The two men got into a fight and Anastasia lost his control and stabbed the man to death.

This fight would lead to what was supposed to be his one in only trip to the infamous Sing-Sing prison. But because of is impeccable toughness, he would see a different fate. A old time mobster barber watched him in many fights where he notice his real violent talent. The barber notified big time gangster like the famous Lucky Luciano and others. After this information, the mob pulled some strings to get a new trial for Anastasia and they succeed. This time around, with this new trial, magically three witnesses against him would be abruptly murdered and one would disappeared. With no witnesses against  him, Anastasia was free to roam the streets again.

Anastasia's Mob Life

Anastasia found himself a cozy job at doing what he knew best, working as a muscle for the mob and murdering if he needed. It was said that he enjoyed his work when it came to killing, even watching people get whacked and enjoying it when he wasn't involved, earning him the name "Lord High Executioner".  In addition to being the muscle, he engaged in a number of different crimes, including loan-sharking and gambling. His brother Anthony became a local union boss, which helped Anastasia gain greater strength in the underworld of the Brooklyn waterfront.

Around this time, Lucky Luciano was lusting for power and coined an ideal to take out two of the top bosses in order to gain control of the criminal underworld. His first move was to take out Joe Masseria. Lucky put together a plan and lured Masseria to a Coney Island. Lucky excused himself to the bathroom, and then shortly after the murder was carried out by Anastasia and a few other gangland associates. This murder was what made the Ace of Sades famous as the death card, as it was placed in the hands of Masseria after he was killed. One boss down Salvatore Maranzano left. The murder of Maranzano was eventually carried out carried out shorty after Masseria, but Anastasia would sit it out.

This was huge for Anastasia, this would mean he would be second in command to his new boss Vincent Mangano. More importantly he was told to work with a Jewish gangster named Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. The two worked well together and formed a gang of ruthless gangsters that would be later named Murder Inc. A fitting name since they are said to be responsible for an unconfirmed 1000 deaths around the US.

This gang would final be taken down when one of their own would flip and become states evidence. Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, a member of Murder Inc. had enough dirt on the gang to put almost all of them in jail and a better part of them on death row. Even "Lepke" Buchalter, which became the first boss to ever be executed by electrocution in the US.

Anastasia was lucky enough to be able to avoid this serious crack down, but "Kid Twist" Reles was ready to finish off the last of Murder Inc. Unfortunately for the "Kid", he would never get the chance. It was siad he was trying to escape from his fifth floor window where he was being held and instead fell to his death. Most believe it was the mob and he was pushed, but either way he earned the nickname "the canary that could sing, but could not fly".

 Anastasia's Down Fall

This left Anastasia free to keep up his criminal activity, and that he did. All though still second in command to Mangano, most knew that Anastasia called the shots. Taking out the boss of a family is a serious no-no in the mob, but Anastasia's lust for power and inpatients would lead to Mangano's death. Although he was given a pass by the commission because ally Frank Costello stuck up for him and claimed it was in self defense, this would be the first infractions of mob rules of many. 

Anastasia's biggest move that got not only the Mafia, the FBI but also the public looking at him like he was public enemy #1, was the murder of a hero civilian. A notorious bank robber William Sutton, who escaped from prison, was shortly captured by the help of  Arnold Schuster, a 24-year-old Brooklyn clothing salesman. Anastasia enraged by the taddle-tell, for he lived by the underground rules where rats die, order Schuster dead. The innocent salesman was hunted down and murdered in the streets in cold blood, this was another serious infraction of mob rules.

That did not help with his reputation with the FBI. The FBI started to focuses on Anastasia's taxes in hopes to bring him down the same way they brought Al Capone down. The FBI had one key witness, a plumber that could verify that he was paid more for his work then what Anastasia claimed in taxes all year.

Despite the tons of murder evidence at Anastasia's house, the plumber would disappear and charges would never be brought about for the murder. But the FBI was not ready to give up on tax evasion, Anastasia recognized this and decided to take a plea so he could get a slap-on-the-wrist and a slap-on-the-wrist is what he got. Spending one year in prison, Anastasia was back on the streets and back to what he knew best.



At this point there was a power struggle going on in the mob. Vito Genovese wanted long time mobster boss Frank Costello out of the way. An attempt on his life would do the trick. After a bullet grazed Costello's head, Anastasia's best ally would take a retirement. But Anastasia still had no worries as he was on full throttle to take power. Even after being warned by long time Jewish gangster, Myer Lansky, to stay away from the Havana gambling rackets, Anastasia would not listen and tried to muscle in on what most did not view as his or fair game.

This was Anastasia's last mistake, Vito Genovese petitioned to the commission that it was time for him to go. Reportedly saying if he won't listen to the commission, won't follow mob rules and thinks he can take whatever he wants, who is safe from his dangerous ways. The commission agreed. Genovese approached what would soon become the head of the most power crime family in New York, Anastasia underboss, Carlo Gambino. He asked him for help planning the murder and Gambino agreed.

Anastasia's Death

October 25, 1957, Anastasia went to his favorite barber for a fresh shave and a manicure. After his bodygaurd took a walk, Anastasia relaxed with a hot towels over his face, as he relaxed, two lone gunmen entered the shop and shot until he was died.

The best way to describe Anastasia's bloody, murderous life of crime is the turn-out at his funnel. Most Mafia funnels have major turnouts that include family, friends and fellow gangsters, but 12 people showed up to Anastasia's funnel.

Four Successful Bosses of the Underworld

Here are four mobsters you may of never heard of, but that's probably because that's the way they wanted it. Strong and quiet bosses run strong and quiet criminal organizations.

Semion Mogilevich

One of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, Semion Mogilevich cuts a frightening figure. Called the "Brainy Don" (he has an economics degree), the Ukrainian-born mobster's gang has a multinational reach, with his hands allegedly in everything from a Pennsylvania-based company that defrauded investors of $150 million to the East European gas trade. His other reputed crimes include murders, arms dealing and drug trafficking. Mogilevich was arrested in Moscow in 2008 for tax evasion, but, brainy and crafty as he is, was released the following year.

Hisayuki Machii

 The Korean-born mobster got his start in the Japanese underworld after settling in Tokyo following World War II. Hisayuki Machii became a regular fixture in the black market and made his name in everything from tourism and prostitution to oil importing. He founded the Tosei-kai gang, which reached its height in the 1960s. The organization allowed Machii to become an essential fixer between Japan and South Korea. His exploits eventually made it possible for him to acquire a ferry service that connected Japan and South Korea along the shortest distance between the two countries. The gang was later disbanded, but Machii followed that up by forming two front organizations, Toa Yuai Jigyo Kumiai and Toa Sogo Kigyo. Machii retired in the 1980s, virtually unscathed by the law, and died in 2002.








Salvatore Riina

"Gentleman, you are making a big mistake," is what Sicilian mobster Salvatore Riina told police when he was apprehended in January 1993 for his dark deeds over more than 20 years as a fugitive and operative in the Sicilian Mafia. He was wanted for his connection to more than 100 killings perpetrated during his climb to the top of the organized-crime gang. Riina, also known as "Toto," was said to have started his career as a hit man. He went into hiding in 1969 after being acquitted of triple homicide. But that didn't stop him from allegedly orchestrating the bloody Mafia wars in 1980s Sicily, which claimed dozens of lives and sealed his post at the top of the organization. In October 1993, despite his attempt to claim a case of mistaken identity, Riina was sentenced to life in prison, the harshest punishment allowed in Italy.

 

 

Dawood Ibrahim

  Mustachioed and portly, it's hard to imagine that Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most dangerous people in the world. Long heralded as the don of the Mumbai underworld, the shadowy Ibrahim went from being a classic extortionist huckster and gold smuggler in the Indian seaside metropolis to a man now implicated in a ring of global terrorist networks that include ties to al-Qaeda. Ibrahim is suspected as a potential suspect in masterminding a 1993 terror attack in Mumbai, which killed hundreds, and may have had a hand in the 2008 attacks on a number of prominent, ritzy Mumbai hotels. What adds to his mystique is that his whereabouts remain unknown — Indian intelligence officials suspect he is in Pakistan, possibly in the port city of Karachi, but the Pakistanis reject those claims. Some estimates of his wealth number into billions of dollars, tracing him to assets and properties from Malaysia to East Africa. In 2008, Forbes ranked him among the top 10 most wanted fugitives; the following year, Ibrahim made the magazine's list of the world's most powerful people.