Prosecution wraps up at FBI agent's trial

BOSTON, May 20 (UPI) -- The prosecution rested its case Monday at the federal trial of a former FBI agent accused of protecting Boston gang leaders who acted for decades as his underworld informants.

John J. Connolly Jr., 61, an agent in Boston from 1975 to 1990, is on trial for racketeering, bribery and obstruction of justice stemming from his relationship with crime bosses James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.

The government alleges Connolly allowed the leaders of the South Boston-based Winter Hill Gang to continue their criminal activities, including murder, in exchange for information against the rival Italian Mafia.

Connolly has consistently said he is innocent, and his actions were sanctioned by FBI supervisors. He also said he was unaware that his gang informants also carried out as many as 20 killings.

Connolly had been praised by higher-ups in the FBI for his role in sending numerous Mafia figures to prison.

Testimony by several gangsters over the past two weeks linked Connolly to payoffs from Bulger.

During the trial, a Bulger associate, Kevin Weeks, testified for the prosecution that he personally gave Connolly an envelope with $5,000 in cash from Bulger.

Weeks, who pleaded guilty in a plea agreement, also told of how Connolly tipped him in 1995 that Bulger and Flemmi were about to be indicted on racketeering charges. Weeks said he passed that tip on to Bulger, who fled. Bulger remains at large and is on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list.

Weeks also testified he was Connolly who provided the information to Bulger that led to the gangland slaying of a John McIntyre in 1984.

Connolly is also accused of leaking the names of three other informants and government witnesses later killed by Bulger and Flemmi.

Another witness was John Martorano, an underworld hit man who also turned government witness. He also linked Connolly to two other slayings by Bulger and Flemmi in the 1980s.

Former New England Mafia boss Frank "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, also testified against Connolly, saying he and Flemmi made two $5,000 payments to Connolly in 1993. He said Connolly promised to tip him off to any pending federal racketeering indictments.

Salemme said that in January 1995 he received information from Flemmi that the indictments were about to be returned, and that he was told the tip came from Connolly.