News, Santa Monica, Courts

James 'Whitey' Bulger To Take The Stand In March Trial

Posted Aug. 7, 2012, 3:45 am

Mirror Staff

Former Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, who was captured last year in Santa Monica, will take the stand when he goes to trial in March next year.

His attorney said Monday in court that his client will testify that he was given immunity for any crimes he committed while he was a FBI informant against the Mafia.

"James Bulger will testify at this trial and he will present evidence, corroborated by others, that he received immunity from the Department of Justice," Carney said in court.

According to USA Today, Carney had said he planned to file a motion to dismiss the charges against Bulger based on his immunity claim, but he said he no longer plans to file such a motion because Bulger believes he can get a fairer hearing from a jury on the immunity claim than he can from the judge who is to preside at his trial.

Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig were arrested at their residence in the 1000 block of Third Street in Santa Monica on June 22, 2011 with a stash of about 30 firearms and $822,000 in cash hidden in holes in the wall of their apartment.

Bulger had been on the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitive list for more than 15 years.

He fled Boston in the mid-1990s as FBI agents were about to arrest him in connection to his role in nearly two dozen murders committed from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s.

Bulger’s role in these murders is also tied to his leadership of an organized crime group that allegedly controlled extortion, drug deals, and other illegal activities in the Boston area.