Bulger Back In Court, Attorney Accuses Feds Of Trying To "Game" System
BOSTON (CBS/AP) -- Whitey Bulger made a surprise return to the federal courthouse in South Boston Wednesday, the same day his temporary attorney fought to have Bulger face all charges, instead of just ones filed in 1999.
Much like in previous days, a motorcade of Federal Marshals and police pulled into the courthouse, but this time, many people seemed to have been caught off guard. Even his temporary attorney, Peter Krupp, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens that he didn't even know that Bulger was coming to court.
Bulger, who presumably met with Krupp, was taken back to the Plymouth Correctional Facility hours later.
WBZ-TV's Jonathan Elias reports.
Earlier in the day, Krupp filed paperwork accusing federal prosecutors in Boston of manipulating the judicial process.
The government is attempting to dismiss one of the indictments against reputed mob boss so they can focus on a later indictment that includes charges that he participated in 19 murders.
Krupp asked in a motion filed Wednesday that both indictments against Bulger be consolidated.
The former leader of the notorious Winter Hill Gang was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., last week after 16 years on the run.
Prosecutors want to dismiss a 1994 racketeering indictment and focus solely on the 1999 charges connecting Bulger to 19 murders.
Krupp said in court documents that the government is attempting "forum shopping" to manipulate the usual process of randomly assigning judges to cases.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports.
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Bulger is headed back to court in Boston again on Thursday to ask for a taxpayer-funded attorney. If Bulger gets the court-appointed attorneys, they will likely be Max Stern and Howard Cooper, who are private lawyers.The federal public defender's office can't represent Whitey due to a conflict of interest - they already represented one of Whitey's co-defendants, Steven Flemmi.
By statue, court-appointed attorneys, even if they are private ones like Stern and Cooper, can't charge more than $125 per hour, or a maximum of $9,600 per case. A Bulger defense, however, could cost millions of dollars, and it's up to the judge whether he wants to reimburse the attorneys for that presumed cost.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
