News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2003

John P. Bulger Convicted of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

Boston, MA….A retired Clerk of the Boston Juvenile Court pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with two separate grand juries investigating criminal activities relating to James J. Bulger's organized crime group and his flight from prosecution.

Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Colonel Thomas J. Foley, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Paul F. Evans, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department; Michael J. Sullivan, United States Attorney; Joseph A. Galasso, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England; and Michael T. Maloney, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction announced today that John P. BULGER, age 65, of 17 Twomey Court, South Boston, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge George O'Toole to an indictment charging him with two counts of perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice for falsely testifying on two occasions before separate federal grand juries.

At today's plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that on November 26, 1996 BULGER testified before a federal grand jury that he had no knowledge of any safe deposit boxes belonging to his brother James J. Bulger. In fact, BULGER knew of, and had made, a 1996-rent payment for, a safe deposit box in Clearwater, Florida that James J. Bulger opened in 1992. The false testimony was provided before a federal grand jury investigation James J. Bulger, Stephen J. Flemmi, and others for potential money laundering offenses relating to their organized crime activities.

BULGER committed his second act of perjury and of obstruction of justice by falsely testifying on January 22, 1998 before another federal grand jury that he had received no direct or indirect communication whatsoever from his brother James J. Bulger since James J. Bulger had become a fugitive in January 1995. In fact, James J. Bulger had called an acquaintance of John P. BULGER's in approximately August 1996 and the acquaintance reported his conversations with James J. Bulger to JOHN P. BULGER. Additionally, as noted at the change of plea hearing, had the case proceeded to the trial the government would have offered the testimony of Kevin J. Weeks who was present in the summer of 1996 when John P. BULGER talked on the telephone with his fugitive brother James J. Bulger. The false testimony was provided before a federal grand jury investigating Catherine P. Greig and others for potential offenses relating to harboring and assisting fugitive James J. Bulger.

Judge O'Toole scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, July 16, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. BULGER faces a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment on each of the two-perjury counts and 10 years' imprisonment on each of the two obstruction of justice counts. BULGER also faces maximum fines of up to $250,000 on each count in the indictment.

Press Contact: S/A Anthony J. Pettigrew, (617)557-2138