Decologero is a man convicted for racketeering and the plot to kill a girl. He also was convicted of buying heroin that was intended to kill her.
He is a key suspect in Bulger’s killing. He and another gang member, Fotios “Freddy” Geas, are serving life sentences for the crime. They are both still incarcerated at USP Hazelton.
James “Whitey” Bulger
Bulger, who was born in 1929, grew up in a public-housing project in South Boston. He became a mob boss and an FBI informant.
Bulger was convicted of 11 murders, extortion, and racketeering. He also was a leading drug dealer.
In October 2018, Bulger was beaten to death at a federal prison in West Virginia, which had been put under investigation for violence among its inmates. A Justice Department watchdog report blamed a number of government missteps for Bulger’s death.
The 89-year-old Bulger was beaten by two inmates, Fotios “Freddy” Geas and Paul J. DeCologero, who were in the same cell with him.
Who killed Whitey Bulger?
In October 2018, 89-year-old Bulger was found unresponsive in his cell at a federal prison in West Virginia. Less than 12 hours later, he was brutally beaten to death inside his own cell.
Two men were indicted on conspiracy charges for the beating. They’re Fotios Geas, 55, and Paul J. DeCologero, 48.
They allegedly struck Bulger in the head multiple times and caused his death while all were incarcerated at United States Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills.
A Justice Department watchdog report also criticized Bulger’s transfer from Coleman to the Hazelton facility, which had a “record of violence among inmates.” The gangster was placed in the general population of the new facility despite his notoriety, and prison officials told investigators that he asked for that placement.
What happened to Whitey Bulger?
Bulger was a criminal who evaded justice for 16 years before being captured in 2011 in Santa Monica, California. He was captured with his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, after they were reported to law enforcement in several cities across the country.
Whitey, as he was known, was born in 1929 and grew up in a public housing project in South Boston. He had a troubled upbringing but eventually found a job in the Air Force.
Bulger rose to become the leader of a gang that operated in the city of Somerville and eventually seized control of the Winter Hill gang. He also became a secret FBI informant, feeding information to police and the Feds about rival mob bosses in Boston.
Where is Whitey Bulger now?
After being convicted for 11 murders and other crimes, Bulger was sent to a West Virginia prison. However, questions remain about why he was placed in the general population of the US Penitentiary Hazelton instead of more protective housing.
“We’ve got to wonder why he was put into a general population unit, when it clearly had the potential for him to be killed by other inmates,” says Kevin Cullen, who co-authored a bestseller about Bulger.
According to a report from the Justice Department’s inspector general released Wednesday, inmates at Hazelton had known about the gangster’s arrival as early as October. And they were already betting on how long he would last before being murdered, the watchdog said.
Who is Paul J. Decologero?
Decologero was a member of the Massachusetts North Shore mob. He was convicted of racketeering, robbery, drug dealing, and other crimes. He served 25 years in prison for the crimes.
He also was a key player in a plot in 1996 to kill and dismember a 19-year-old woman named Aislin Silva because she was going to tell police that she had been robbing drugs. After murdering and dismembering her, members of the crew buried her body in a wooded area.
Paul A. Decologero ran a criminal enterprise (the “DeCologero crew”) that operated out of his gym in Woburn, Massachusetts. He and his nephews John P. and Paul J., along with their friend Joseph F. Pavone, robbed and stole drugs and cash from Boston-area drug dealers.