Hitman who got life sentence gets more time for murder of ‘Whitey’ Bulger

A former Mafia hitman already serving a life sentence was sentenced to 25 years in prison on September 6 for the fatal 2018 prison beating of notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.

Prosecutors said Fotios “Freddy” Geas used a belt lock to repeatedly strike the 89-year-old Bulger in the head hours after he arrived at the troubled U.S. prison in Hazelton from another Florida prison in October 2018. Defense attorneys disputed that characterization on Sept. 6, saying Geas had struck Bulger with his fist.

The Justice Department said last year that it would not seek the death penalty against Geas for Bulger’s murder.

The sentences – 15 years for manslaughter and 10 years for assault causing serious bodily harm – will be consecutive to Geas’ current life sentence.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh agreed with a prosecutor’s recommendation for a sentence that was longer than the government’s sentencing guidelines. Kleeh said he found the final result to be “fair, reasonable and just.” The judge dismissed more serious charges, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, each of which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison.

According to Assistant District Attorney Brandon Flower, the proposed sentence was based in part on Bulger and Geas’ ages, 57.

“Mr. Geas doesn’t really get a chance to go outside,” Flower said. “That’s where he’s going to spend the rest of his days.”

Geas did not want to make a statement in court prior to the verdict.

Bulger, who led the largely Irish gang in Boston in the 1970s and 1980s, was also an FBI informant who betrayed his gang’s chief rival, the bureau said. Bulger has vehemently denied ever being a government informant.

Bulger became one of the country’s most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994 after a tip from his FBI contact that he was facing charges. He was captured at age 81 after more than 16 years on the run, and convicted in 2013 of 11 murders and dozens of other gangland crimes.

Another Hazelton inmate, Massachusetts gangster Paul J. DeCologero, was sentenced in August to more than four years in prison for assault in connection with Bulger’s murder. Prosecutors say he served as a lookout for Geas. A third inmate, Sean McKinnon, pleaded guilty in June to lying to FBI agents. McKinnon received no additional prison time and was sent back to Florida to complete his parole. He had been serving time for stealing guns from a gun dealer.

According to court records, inmates learned in advance that Bulger would arrive at the West Virginia facility. DeCologero and Geas spent about seven minutes in Bulger’s cell during the attack.

An inmate testified before a grand jury that DeCologero told him Bulger was a “snitch” and that they planned to kill him if he came into their unit.

Geas was a close associate of the Mafia and served as its enforcer, but was not an official “made” member because he is Greek, not Italian. He and his brother were sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for their roles in several violent crimes, including the 2003 murder of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a Genovese crime family boss in Springfield. Another mobster ordered Bruno’s killing because he was angry that Bruno had talked to the FBI, prosecutors said.

On May 13, plea agreements were announced for Geas, DeCologero and McKinnon. Geas and DeCologero were identified as suspects shortly after Bulger’s death, but they went uncharged for years as the investigation dragged on.

After the killing, experts criticized Bulger’s transfer to Hazelton, where employees have previously raised alarms about violence and understaffing, and his placement in general population rather than in protective housing.

A 2022 investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general found that the killing was the result of multiple layers of management failure, widespread incompetence and flawed policies at the federal Bureau of Prisons. The IG found no evidence of “malicious intent” by agency employees but said a series of bureaucratic blunders left Bulger at the mercy of rival gangsters.

In court on Sept. 6, defense attorney Nathan Chambers called the Bureau of Prisons’ conduct “shocking” and “outrageous.” He said Geas disputed some of the testimony taken during a preliminary investigation and noted that an autopsy determined the cause of death was a single blow to the left ear.

“There is no evidence that a weapon was used, let alone a padlock,” Chambers said.

Flower later said the defense and prosecutors previously agreed on the facts of the case, including who went in and out of Bulger’s cell and what happened to Bulger.

Also in 2022, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Bulger’s family against the agency and 30 unnamed prison system employees.

In July, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to overhaul oversight and increase transparency within the agency after The Associated Press reported systemic corruption in the federal prison system, leading to increased congressional oversight.