Inmate sentenced to more than 4 years in prison killing of Boston gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — An inmate was sentenced to more than four years Thursday for his role in the 2018 fatal bludgeoning of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in a troubled West Virginia federal prison.

Massachusetts gangster Paul J. DeCologero was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to an assault charge. He could have faced up to 10 years in prison. DeCologero was already serving a 25-year sentence handed down in 2006 after he was convicted of buying heroin used to try to kill a teenage girl.

Prosecutors initially had said DeCologero and inmate Fotios “Freddy” Geas used a lock attached to a belt to repeatedly hit the 89-year-old Bulger in the head hours after he arrived at USP Hazelton from another lockup in Florida. But on Thursday, both prosecutors and the defense said DeCologero only served as a lookout and had not physically assaulted Bulger.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh said the sentence was “fair, just and appropriate” and “strikes the balance the court is trying to seek.”

DeCologero, 50, declined to speak when given the opportunity to address the court. Defense attorney Patrick Nash began by conveying an apology from DeCologero to Bulger's family as well as the inmate's own relatives.

Nash described DeCologero as the victim of an “abusive and neglectful” upbringing.

“Paul has had an incredibly difficult life,” Nash said. “As a result of that, Paul is a person who is easily led. Anyone who shows him attention, he's easily led.”

An uncle eventually took in DeCologero and made him part of a criminal organization, Nash said.

In Bulger's killing, “Paul was involved," Nash said. "He is guilty. But his role was limited.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Flower declined to comment after the sentencing.

According to court records, inmates found out ahead of time that Bulger would be arriving at Hazelton. An inmate previously told a grand jury that DeCologero said to him that Bulger was a snitch and they planned to kill him as soon as he came into their unit.

Prosecutors have said DeCologero and Geas spent about seven minutes in Bulger’s cell. Geas hit Bulger, while DeCologero served as a lookout and helped cover Bulger's body, Flower said Thursday. DeCologero's DNA was found on two blankets, the prosecutor said.

Geas has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries up to a life sentence. His hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6. Last year, the Justice Department said it would not seek the death penalty.

Another inmate, Sean McKinnon, pleaded guilty in June to lying to FBI special agents. McKinnon got credit for spending 22 months in custody after his 2022 indictment, was given no additional prison time and was returned to Florida to finish his supervised release. McKinnon had served out a sentence for stealing guns from a firearms dealer.

Plea deals for the three men were disclosed May 13. Geas and DeCologero were identified as suspects shortly after Bulger’s death, but they remained uncharged for years as the investigation dragged on.

Prior to Bulger's death, employees at Hazelton had been sounding the alarm about violence and understaffing. After Bulger was killed, prison officials were criticized for placing him in the general population instead of more protective housing.

A Justice Department inspector general investigation found in 2022 that the killing was the result of multiple layers of management failures, widespread incompetence and flawed policies at the federal Bureau of Prisons. The inspector general found no evidence of “malicious intent” by any bureau employees but said a series of bureaucratic blunders left Bulger at the mercy of rival gangsters.

In July, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the Bureau of Prisons following reporting from The Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny.

Bulger, who ran the largely Irish mob in Boston in the 1970s and ’80s, was also an FBI informant who provided the agency with information on the main rival to his gang.

He became one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994, thanks to a tip from his FBI handler that he was about to be indicted. He was captured at age 81 after more than 16 years on the run.

Bulger was convicted in 2013 in a string of 11 killings and dozens of other gangland crimes, many of them committed while he was said to be an FBI informant.

DeCologero, who was in a gang led by his uncle, was convicted of buying heroin that was used to try to kill a teenage girl because his uncle feared she would betray the crew to police. After the heroin did not kill her, another man broke her neck, dismembered her body and buried her remains in the woods, court records say.

Geas was a close associate of the Mafia and acted as an enforcer but was not an official “made” member because he is Greek, not Italian. He and his brother were sentenced to life in 2011 for their roles in several violent crimes, including the 2003 killing of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a Genovese crime family boss in Springfield, Massachusetts. Another mobster ordered Bruno’s killing because he was upset that he had talked to the FBI, prosecutors said.

FILE - This June 23, 2011, file booking photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows James "Whitey" Bulger. Bulger was fatally beaten at a West Virginia prison in October 2018. An inmate, Paul J. DeCologero, is due in court Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, for a plea hearing and sentencing on charges in Bulger’s death. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File)

FILE - In this June 30, 2011 file photo, James "Whitey" Bulger, right, is escorted from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to a waiting vehicle at an airport in Plymouth, Mass., after attending hearings in federal court in Boston. Bulger was fatally beaten at a West Virginia prison in October 2018. An inmate, Paul J. DeCologero, is due in court Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, for a plea hearing and sentencing on charges in Bulger’s death. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, File)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Weaponizing ordinary communication devices represents a new development in warfare, and targeting thousands of Lebanese people using pagers, two-way radios and electronic equipment without their knowledge is a violation of international human rights law, the United Nations human rights chief said Friday.

Volker Türk told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council there must be an independent and transparent investigation of the two attacks in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday where these devices exploded, reportedly killing 37 people and injuring more than 3,400 others.

“Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held to account,” he said.

Lebanon has blamed Israel for the attacks, which appeared to target Hezbollah militants but also saw many civilian casualties, including children. Hezbollah has fought many conflicts with Israel, including a war in 2006, and it has conducted near-daily strikes against Israel to support Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Before the council meeting, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon was asked by reporters about speculation Israel was behind the two explosions.

“We are not commenting on the specific attacks you mentioned, but I can tell you that we will do everything we can to target those terrorists to minimize casualties for civilians,” he replied.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib accused Israel of terrorizing the entire Lebanese population on streets, in markets, shops and their homes where their communications devices exploded.

He held up a photo of a mangled and bloodied hand, telling ambassadors from the 15 council nations: “Look at the ugliness of what has happened in this picture.”

Bouhabib insisted that Israel not only launched the attacks but told the council there were “official declarations” and a tweet by an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “that was lately deleted, emphasizing the responsibility of Israel and praising the positive results of this assault.”

He appeared to be referring to a deleted tweet by Netanyahu adviser Topaz Luke, who reportedly retweeted a post that included a reply indicating that Israel was behind the attacks in Lebanon and neighboring Syria.

Israel’s Danon criticized the Lebanese minister for never mentioning Hezbollah and said the Lebanese people are “trapped in the grip of this terrorist organization.”

Lebanon’s Bouhabib warned the council that if it doesn’t condemn the week’s deadly explosions and name Israel as the perpetrator, a “Pandora’s Box” will be opened, and governments and extremists will target, terrorize and kill civilians with similar communications devices on trains, planes and elsewhere.

Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said the explosions not only violated international human rights law but also appear to violate international humanitarian law’s key principles in carrying out attacks: distinction between civilians and combatants, proportionality, and precautions.

International law also prohibits the use of booby-trap devices that look harmless, he said, and “it is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians.”

“Let me be clear — this method of warfare may be new and unfamiliar,” Türk said, “but international humanitarian and human rights law apply regardless and must be upheld.”

Israel’s Danon blamed Iran and its “puppet” Hezbollah for the military action across the Lebanon-Israel border.

“While Israel is not seeking a wider conflict, let me be clear: We will not allow Hezbollah to continue its provocations,” he said. Israel will do “whatever it takes” to return its 60,000 citizens who fled their homes in the north because of attacks, “and we will not allow Hezbollah’s terror to dictate the future of our nation.”

Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani countered that “Israel bears full responsibility for the perpetration of such horrific crimes,” and said his government will pursue accountability for the attack on the country’s ambassador to Lebanon, whose eyes were injured in the explosions Tuesday.

He said the gravity of the attacks against the Lebanese people must also be seen as “a threat to peace and security across the region.” He added that “the international community must not ignore the role the Western countries, in particular the United States and U.K., play in enabling Israel’s aggressions.”

U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned the council that the explosions along with more than 11 months of bloodshed in Gaza, and near-daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border, pose a grave risk to security and stability in the region.

She urged all actors to exercise maximum restraint, and she strongly urged countries with influence on the parties “to leverage it now.”

Earlier, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric urged Israel and Hezbollah to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities that existed before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel and Israel's responding military campaign in Gaza, warning that “the region is on the brink of a catastrophe” and a diplomatic solution should be pursued urgently.

This video grab shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)