(File)
James “Whitey” Bulger’s FBI handler made up and falsified information contained in reports in Bulger’s FBI informant file, a Department of Justice agent said Tuesday.
James Marra, an agent who conducted a review of Bulger’s file, described some of the hundreds of reports in Bulger’s file as “misleading or false” while being cross examined by Bulger attorney Hank Brennan.
Marra also said that former agent John Connolly wrote most of the reports contained in Bulger’s file. Connolly, a corrupt FBI agent that worked with Bulger and his gang, is currently in jail.
“When I went through the FBI file that existed for Mr. Bugler I identified certain documents in there that were, in my opinion, fabricated by Mr. Connolly in regard to releasing information to Mr. Bugler and Mr. Flemmi,” Marra said.
Marra said that the documents that were fabricated by Connolly were drawn up to protect himself and the mobsters from their criminal activities.
Bulger’s lawyers have repeatedly insisted that the 83-year-old alleged mob boss was not a federal informant and that Connolly fabricated the informant file to further his own career.
Brennan tried to underscore that contention by repeatedly asking Marra if he knew firsthand that Bulger told Connolly the tips that Connolly wrote in Bulger’s file. Marra said he did not.
Brennan also repeatedly referred to Bulger’s informant file, a government evidence exhibit against Bulger, as “Mr. Connolly’s file.”
Also during the cross examination, Brennan focused on items that were missing from the file. Brennan said there should have been paperwork that Bulger would have had to have signed as part of his agreement to be an informant.
“I saw no acknowledgements by Mr. Bulger in here,” Marra said.
Brennan also focused on John Morris, Connolly’s FBI supervisor. He asked Marra about meetings between Bulger and Morris, including one time when he made dinner for Bulger at his home, but those meetings were not documented in the file.
Under questioning by Brennan, Marra said that all contact with an informant, negative and positive, should be documented.
Marra is likely to wrap up his time on the witness stand today and will be followed by Morris who received immunity from the government.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
