BOSTON, June 10 (UPI) -- As jury selection goes on for the trial of accused mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, his attorneys are seeking to have the trial's start delayed.
Bulger's defense team contends it was not given all the evidence surrounding accusations the government's star witness, former hit man John Martorano, has resumed criminal dealings with protection from the Massachusetts State Police in exchange for his testimony against Bulger, The Boston Globe reported Monday.
"The defense moves that the court end the government's coverup of hiding information implicating their star witness in ongoing criminal activity and the steps taken by his handlers to protect him," Bulger's lawyers, J.W.Carney Jr. and Henry Brennan, wrote Monday.
Martorano has admitted several killings but Bulger's defense, citing an anonymous whistle-blower within the state police, says the state offered Martorano not just a lighter sentence but immunity for crimes committed after 2007, when he was released from prison.
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office strongly denied the claims and said the state trooper making the allegations is disgruntled and his statements have already been documented, refuted and the relevant files were turned over to Bulger's defense team more than a month ago.
"The anonymous allegations against a witness [John Martorano] who has already admitted participating in multiple murders, have been thoroughly debunked after an extensive investigation. The anonymous letter writer, who praised himself profusely in the letter, turned out to be a disgruntled [state police] trooper who falsely accused another [state police] trooper of ignoring the allegations against Martorano.''
Bulger, Martorano and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi allegedly led the Winter Hill gang in Boston. In 1998, Martorano allegedly learned Bulger and Flemmi were working as informants for the FBI, turning over information on other area gangs in exchange for immunity for their own crimes.
The FBI and state police have denied offering Bulger immunity and Bulger has denied he was even an informant.
The scenario was fodder for a Hollywood gangland film, "The Departed."
But in a real courtroom drama, U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper pressed ahead with filling out an 18-member jury panel. She did not rule on Bulger's defense motion Monday.
Bulger, 83, faces a 32-count indictment.
