Judge Sentences FBI Agent in Mob Killing

By Sarah Harper

Published on January 19, 2009

A Miami judge sentenced John Connolly Jr., a former FBI agent, to 40 years in prison on Thursday, in relation to the 1982 death of a witness about to testify against Boston mob members. The case highlights Connolly's alleged corruption and his alleged involvement with the mob.

According to CNN reports, Connolly had been involved with gang members during his career with the FBI. Throughout his career, Connolly - whose job was to target gang members - snitched on numerous mobsters, including New England's infamous James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Meanwhile, Connolly was allegedly in cahoots with the mob, as evidenced by his inclusion on the mob's payroll (collecting $235,000 from Bulger and Flemmi), protecting mobsters from prosecution, and leaking the identities of informants. Connolly denied charges of corruption, claiming that the FBI expected him to interact with gangsters in order to prosecute them.

The sentence addressed Connolly's involvement in the murder of informant John Callahan, who was murdered over a business-related dispute. Connolly will serve 40 years for the slaying, a sentence that runs consecutively with a ten-year racketeering sentence.

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