Boston University journalism professor Dick Lehr was working on The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team in the ’80s, investigating South Boston-bred politician William Bulger and his brother, James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, leader of the Irish Mob, when he stumbled upon something much bigger.’
Lehr, alongside then-editor of the Spotlight Team Gerard O’Neill, discovered that FBI agent John Connolly Jr., was working with ‘Whitey’ Bulger and accepting bribes from the mob.
‘In the course of doing ‘Whitey,’ we started to uncover his connections to the FBI, particularly agent John Connolly, who was from South Boston, too,’ Lehr said. ‘By the time we were finished, we were completely shocked, as was the public.’
A jury in Miami found Connolly guilty of second-degree murder Friday for plotting with ‘Whitey’ and Steve ‘The Rifleman’ Flemmi, to kill a potential witness against them in the ’80s. During the week of Connolly’s murder trial, Lehr continued his involvement in the case by writing a blog for the Boston Globe and participating in an interview with Dateline NBC.
‘There’s no question in anybody’s mind that Connolly and the FBI in Boston have blood on their hands, given this corrupt relationship they protected,’ Lehr said. ‘Cold-blooded killers on the FBI’s clock.’
Connolly was already serving time for racketeering before the murder trial, but now he will be serving a life sentence.
Bulger had worked out a deal with Connolly to give the FBI tips regarding whereabouts of the rival Italian Mafia, and the FBI busied itself with dismantling the mafia instead of going after Bulger’s gang.
Lehr and O’Neill worked on this case for about a decade before they could confirm with confidential inside sources within the FBI and publish the relationship between Connolly and Bulger. In 1998, they published Black Mass: The Irish Mob, The FBI and a Devil’s Deal. a book about the Connolly case.
‘It took years for the disgusting truth to really tumble out, which was the corruption involving the FBI, how they tipped Bulger off and how they received bribes from Bulger,’ Lehr said. ‘In a way, they became gang themselves.’
The Connolly case was the basis for the 2006 Academy Award-winning film, The Departed.
‘It’s inspiring to see the impact that investigative journalism can have, particularly in the times of limited resources,’ BU journalism lecturer Judy Rakowsky said.
Before, Connolly served as a source for many reporters and was ‘a good guy,’ so many reporters did not believe that Connolly had a deal with a mob leader, Lehr said.
Lehr and O’Neill were the first reporters to ever investigate or write anything about the Bulger brothers, he said.
BU journalism professor Mitch Zuckoff also worked on the Boston Globe Spotlight Team with Lehr from 1996 to 1999, he said.
‘Dick is one of the best journalists I know,’ Zuckoff said. ‘Any smart college student would be wise to emulate Lehr’s approach. He’s talking about investigative reporting not from the academic side, but from first-hand experience.’
Lehr said he hopes his efforts in the case will make a difference ‘in terms of what people know and correcting the wrongs.’
‘[There were] a lot of people killed and families ruined,’ he said. ‘To finally have an explanation is hugely important.’
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