James “Whitey” Bulger.
Credit: US Attorney’s Office
After learning that alleged mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger and his Winter Hill Gang associate Stephen Flemmi were indicted, former FBI supervisor John Morris said he had reason to be concerned.
“I was worried about everything surfacing … I certainly did not want my bad behavior known,” Morris said.
Morris made the statement Friday during his second day on the witness stand in Bulger’s murder and racketeering trial. Morris has testified that as an FBI supervisor in Boston he took gifts – including cases of wine and cash – from Bulger and Flemmi.
Hank Brennan, Bulger’s attorney, was relentless in his attempt to portray Morris as a liar who, along with convicted and corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, fabricated Bulger’s FBI informant file. Bulger’s lawyers have argued that the 83-year-old accused mob boss was never an informant.
“Did you tell them about the bribes you took from other people,” Brennan asked Morris.
Morris repeated that he told investigators that he took money from Bulger and Flemmi, but admitted he didn’t confess about a loan he took from another informant.
Brennan also introduced into evidence multiple FBI informant reports that Morris signed off on. The tips from the informants in those reports were “strikingly similar” to the information Connnolly put in reports that were attributed to Bulger.
Morris said at that time he didn’t notice the similarities and said that multiple informants could have been providing the same information.
Bugler’s lawyers have argued that Bulger wasn’t an informant and that the gifts he gave to Connolly and Morris were in exchange for a head start if he was ever charged.
Morris will take the stand for a third day on Monday for more cross examination when the trial resumes.
