Paul J. Decologero is a former Lowell resident who was convicted of racketeering and witness tampering. He is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
He and Fotios “Freddy” Geas were accused of killing Bulger. They are being held at US Penitentiary Hazelton, which has a reputation for being violent.
He was convicted of racketeering and witness tampering
Racketeering is a criminal offense that involves several crimes, such as bribery, money laundering, and drug trafficking. It’s a popular law in the United States, and prosecutors use it to build racketeering cases against firms.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, is a federal law that allows prosecutors to charge firms with a series of crimes. For example, a firm can be charged with robbery, kidnapping, bribery and drug trafficking.
In a racketeering case, prosecutors must prove a pattern of criminal activity. They must also show that the defendants have a common purpose to commit those crimes.
The defendants were convicted of racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization Act, a federal law that prohibits 35 crimes, including kidnapping, murder, bribery, and drug trafficking. They were also convicted of witness tampering, which is the act of attempting to influence or prevent a witness from testifying in court.
He was convicted of the murder of Aislin Silva
Paul j. was convicted of the murder of Aislin Silva. He was also found guilty of racketeering, extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion.
The government argued that the murder of Aislin Silva was a key element of the racketeering conspiracy and was part of a scheme to intimidate witnesses like Silva. It emphasized that the conspiracy to tamper with a witness was the result of the crew’s isolation of Silva and their repeated reassurances that they would be back in town soon to take care of her.
Physical evidence introduced at trial showed that DiCenso and his associate, Capozzi, dismembered Silva’s body in her bathtub, stuffed the parts into plastic bags, and transported them to a Danvers car wash to dispose of evidence. Bloody plastic bags and duffle bags were also found in and around the dumpster at the car wash. These were the same items that the police recovered in and around Silva’s apartment.
He was convicted of the murder of James “Whitey” Bulger
One of the men suspected in the murder of notorious Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger was a Lowell man who specialized in running an organized crime crew. Paul J. DeCologero, who lived in Woburn at the time of his arrest, was convicted in 2006 on racketeering and witness-tampering charges.
As an FBI informant, Bulger tipped off the police on his gang’s main rival. He was also a key figure in the FBI’s investigation into drug trafficking and racketeering.
So why was he moved from a prison in Florida to one known as the country’s most dangerous to snitches? The answer is complex.
A video surveillance camera captured Geas and DeCologero entering Bulger’s cell just six minutes after all the cell doors opened in the general population at 6.06 a.m. The men then brutally attacked Bulger, using a lock in a sock to beat him and a shiv to try to gouge out his eyes. Bulger’s battered body was found wrapped in a sheet 12 hours later.
He was convicted of extortion
Extortion is a crime that is committed when someone threatens or intimidates another person to gain an advantage. It is a serious charge that prosecutors and judges provide harsh sentences for.
This offense is usually charged as a felony, but it can be a misdemeanor if the victim is considered to be a dependent or a senior citizen. It is also a crime that can count as a strike for purposes of the Three Strikes Law in some states.
To be guilty of extortion, you must have communicated threats or used force to obtain money or property. For example, if you go door-to-door selling $5 boxes of M&Ms to cranky neighbors and threaten them that they will be fired if they don’t give you their money, it is extortion.
To be guilty of extortion under the Hobbs Act, you must have done something in violation of your official right to receive benefits. This means that you must have done something under the color of your office.
