Jeremiah O'Sullivan (lawyer)

Jeremiah T. O'Sullivan (died February 10, 2009) was a Boston-based federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice at a time when Federeal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents collaborated with Winter Hill Gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger. He was subsequently accused of participating in a scheme to grant immunity to Bulger to commit violent crimes in return for information about the Patriarca crime family.

O'Sullivan was a lawyer in the 1970s and 1980s,[1] prior to becoming the head of the New England Organized Crime Strike Force.[2][3] In 1970, he was the Deputy Assistant Attorney-General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.[4]

In February 1979, federal prosecutors indicted numerous members of the Winter Hill Gang, including boss Howie Winter, for fixing horse races. Bulger and his right-hand man Steve Flemmi were originally going to be part of this indictment, but Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent John Connolly and his supervisor John Morris were able to persuade O'Sullivan to drop the charges against them at the last minute. Bulger and Flemmi were instead named as unindicted co-conspirators.[5] In 2009, Connolly was sentenced to forty years in prison for second-degree murder.[6] Morris was granted immunity in exchange for a testimony against Connolly.[7]

In 1998, O'Sullivan suffered a heart attack and several strokes after being asked to testify about Bulger and Flemmi. He remained in a coma for a month.[1] Five years later,[2] O'Sullivan spoke in front of Congress during the Committee on Government Reform's investigation of the FBI's Boston branch. He stated that he knew some informants were committing murder and that they had relationships with FBI, but O'Sullivan said he did not act upon the situation because he was "intimidated by the bureau".[2][8] O'Sullivan denied having personally provided protection to Bulger and his associates.[1][9]

In 2012, he was identified by defense lawyers in a racketeering case as having provided immunity to Bulger.[1]

O'Sullivan died on February 10, 2009, at the age of 66.[10][11] In the 2015 film Black Mass, O'Sullivan was portrayed by Lewis D. Wheeler.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Valencia, Milton J.; Andersen, Travis. "Defense lawyers name Jeremiah O'Sullivan as federal agent who granted James 'Whitey' Bulger immunity to commit crimes". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22. Archived April 27, 2025, at archive.today
  2. ^ a b c "Ex-Prosecutor Tells of Ties Between F.B.I. and Mob" Fox Butterfield, The New York Times, December 6, 2002 Archived April 27, 2025, at archive.today
  3. ^ Boeri, David (2008-08-21). "The Martyrdom of John Connolly". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-22. Archived October 9, 2020, at archive.today
  4. ^ "Walsh v. Commonwealth, 358 Mass. 193 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22. Archived March 22, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Lehr, O'Neill; Dick, Gerard (2001). Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal. New York City: HarperCollins. ISBN 9781610391689. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Crossing the Line". Dateline NBC.
  7. ^ "Ex-FBI agent apologizes to victims at Bulger trial". NBC News. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2024-03-08. Archived April 27, 2025, at archive.today
  8. ^ "Jeremiah O'Sullivan". Boston 25 News. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2024-03-22. Archived April 27, 2025, at archive.today
  9. ^ H. Rept. 108-414 - EVERYTHING SECRET DEGENERATES: THE FBI'S USE OF MURDERERS AS INFORMANTS – Congress.gov Archived April 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Jeremiah O'Sullivan Obituary Legacy.com (February 13, 2009) Archived April 27, 2025, at archive.today
  11. ^ Murphy, Shelley (2013-03-01). "US says 'Whitey' Bulger immunity unfounded". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-09-25. Archived March 11, 2015, at archive.today
  12. ^ "Black Mass". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
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