>>> THE NAMES OF TWO MASSACHUSETTS
CRIMINALS HAVE MADE NATIONAL NEWS IN THE PAST WEEK --
BOSTON MOBSTER JAMES "WHITEY" BULGER AND WEST SPRINGFIELD
NATIVE FOTIOS "FREDDY" GEAS.
BOTH HAD BEEN IN PRISON FOR YEARS ON UNRELATED CHARGES, BUT
BULGER WAS KILLED SHORTLY AFTER BEING TRANSFERRED TO U.S.
PENITENTIARY HAZELTON IN WEST VIRGINIA, WHERE GEAS IS BEING H
SOME NEWS OUTLETS, INCLUDING TH BOSTON GLOBE AND SPRINGFIELD
REPUBLICAN, HAVE REPORTED GEAS IS SUSPECTED TO BE AMONG THOSE
WHO MURDERED BULGER.
JIM POLITO, NOW OF WHYN RADIO, WAS
AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER WHO COVERED ORGANIZED CRIME IN
SPRINGFIELD DURING THE EARLY 20 HERE'S HIS TAKE ON GEAS.
>> I KNEW FREDDY AND HIS BROTHER WERE THE MUSCLE.
>> THEY ARE FROM WEST SPRINGFIELD?
>> YEAH, THEY ARE FROM WEST SPRINGFIELD AND PROBABLY
FREDDY WAS THE MORE WELL-KNOWN AND PROBABLY THE MORE BRUTAL
OF THE TWO BUT THEY WERE BOTH HEAVY HITMEN.
THEY WERE THE MUSCLE FOR ANTHONY ARRIOLOTO WHO IS MOB
NAME WAS BINGY AND HE DIDN'T LIKE TO BE CALLED A LITTLE
GUY, BUT WAS SMALLER IN STATUTE CHUTE.
ANTHONY WAS THE HEAD OF THE CRIME FAMILY IN WESTERN MASS
AND I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE FIND FASCINATING.
>> IT IS SUCH A LONG-STANDING CONNECTION HERE IN
SPRINGFIELD, RIGHT?
>> YES, HERE IN SPRINGFIELD, THERE ARE FIVE ORGANIZED CRIME
MAP WHEREAS MAFIAFAMILY IN NEW YORK CITY
AND GENIEVIEVE WAS ALWAYS THE STRONGEST AND
THIS WAS THEIR TERRITORY ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER IN
SPRINGFIELD.
>> SO YOU WERE COVERING THIS IN 2000 WHEN THERE WERE A LOT
OF THINGS GOING ON AND FREDDIE IS SERVING TIME FOR HIS ROLE
IN THE ALVARO MURDER?
>> HE PAID FRANKIE ROACH WHO WAS KIND OF NOT A DRIFTER BUT
A LOW-LEVEL CRIME V DRUG PERSON AND FREDDIE ARRANGED
FOR HIM TO DO THE KILLING OUTSIDE OUR LADY OF MOUNT
CARMEL CLUB ON A SUNDAY NIGHT.
I THINK IT WAS THE 23RD OF NOVEMBER AND WE'RE COMING UP
ON THE ANNIVERSARY.
>> BACK IN 2003?
>> 2003.
>> SO NOW WE'RE HEARING ABOUT FRANKIE AGAIN IN THE NEWS
ALLEGEDLY WITH THE DEATH OF WHITEY BULGEARE R BULGER WHEN
THIS HAPPENED.
BUT THE TWO CIRCLES DON'T OVERLAP, BULGER WAS HERE IN
SPRINGFIELD AND THEY ARE OUT IN BOSTON SO WHY CONNECT THE
TWO?
>> WELL, THE TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WHITEY AND HOW HE WAS ARRESTED AS AN
INFORMANT.
AND HE IS A RISING STAR, KIND OF THE PROTEGE.
WELL, ANTHONY WENT AND SAID BIG AL IS NOT KICKING UP THE
TRIBUTE HE SHOULD BE KICKING UP IN NEW YORK CITY.
>> MEANING THE MONEY, RIGHT?
>> YES, THE MONEY.
IT WORKS AS A PYRAMID SCHEME.
AND ANTHONY CONVINCED THEM THAT HE SHOULD BE THE BOSS
HERE AND THAT BIG AL HAD TO GO.
FRANKIE ROACH DID IT AND ANTHONY BECAME A MADE MAN IN A
CEREMONY IN NEW YORK CITY AND HEAD OF THE CRIME FAMILY CREW
IN WESTERN MASS.
>> AND PART OF THE REASON WHY FREDDY GEAS WINDS UP IN PRISON
IS THAT ANTHONY EVENTUALLY TURNS ON HIM, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> AND THAT WAS THE CONNECTION TO BULGER BECAUSE HE WAS AN
INFORMANT AND FRANKIE DID NOT LIKE INFORMANTS, RIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHEN THEY ALL GOT INDICTED, ANNUAL RROLOTO SAID I WILL
TAKE A DEAL WITH THE FEDS AND HE GAVE EVIDENCE THAT FREDDY
HELPED MASTER MIND THE MURDER OF BRUNO, AND ANOTHER GUY WHO
WAS DATING HIS WIFE'S SISTER, SUPPLYING HER WITH DRUGS, THIS
CAME OUT IN THE TRIAL AND HE WANTED HIM OUT OF THE PICTURE
AND THEY DID IT AND THEY BURIED HIM IN --
>> YOU BROKE THE STORY ON THAT, RIGHT?
>> I BROKE THE STORY BECAUSE I FOUND OUT HIS CAR HAD BEEN
DISCOVERED IN A SUPERMARKET LOT, THE STATE POLICE HAD IT,
THEY DUSTED IT FOR FINGERPRINTS AND EVERYBODY
KNEW THAT IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MOB AND THAT WAS
THE FOCUS WITH THE CRIME INVESTIGATION AND THEN BOOM, A
FEW WEEKS LATER, ARROLOTO IS MURDERED.
FREDDY WAS GOING TO SPEND THE ARE REST OF HIS LIFE IN PRISON
BUT HE HATES RATS AND FREDDY HAD A STRANGE UPBRINGING.
FREDDY AND TY WERE SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS AND I AM
NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST BUT THAT IS OFTEN THE M.O.
FROM THOSE IN ORGANIZED STRUCTURES LIKE THE
MAFIA OR THE GANGS AND FREDDY, BEING GREEK, COULD NEVER BE A
MADE MEMBER OF THE MAFIA BUT HE COULD BE AN ASSOCIATE AND A
HITMAN AND HE BELIEVED IN ALL OF THE RULES OF YOUR OATH AND
LOYALTY.
SO HE FIRMLY BELIEVED THAT HE HAD A CHANCE TO FLIP.
HE DIDN'T DO IT.
HE COULD HAVE FLIPPED ON ANTHONY BUT HE DIDN'T.
HE HATES RAT.
HE IS SPENDING HIS ENTIRE LIFE IN JAIL BECAUSE HE WAS RATTED
OUT AND THEN COUPLE THAT WITH WHEN HE WAS AWAITING TRIAL, HE
WAS UP IN SHIRLEY AT THAT PRISON AND HE MET A MAN BY THE
NAME OF FRED WICHEL WHO WAS BEHIND BARS BECAUSE WHITEY PUT
HIM BEHIND BARS FOR A MURDER HE DIDN'T COMMIT.
HE RATTED TO HIS CONTACTS IN THE F.B.I., THAT GUY HAD BEEN
BEHIND BARS SO FREDDY MEETS HIM AND HE LIKES BEING A
MOBSTER.
HE WASN'T A POSER IN THE SENSE OF HE LIKED THE LIFESTYLE, NO,
HE BOUGHT INTO IT.
AND AS I SAID, THERE WAS SOME DYSFUNCTION WHEN HE WAS
YOUNGER.
THEY WEREN'T WITH THE FAMILY WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER, LIVED
WITH OTHERS AND I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS BECAUSE OF
IMMIGRATION ISSUES.
BUT FREDDY MEETS UP WITH HIM, FINDS OUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT
WHITEY THE RAT DID IT AND THEN LIKE A GIFT, WHITEY IS
PRESENTED ON HIS FRONT DOOR.
>> AND THIS IS ALLEGED THAT HE COMMITTED THE MURDER AND --
>> AND NONE OF THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.
THE BUREAU OF PRISONS IS QUOTE, STILL DOING THE
INVESTIGATION.
THIS IS ALL BASED ON REPORTING AND FROM OTHER SOURCES.
>> SO AT THIS POINT, HE IS SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE IN
PRISON.
WHAT WOULD HE STAND TO GAIN IF HE DID COMMIT THIS MURDER?
>> AND THAT FITS IN WITH -- IT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION AND
FITS IN WITH EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT FREDDY BEING A TRUE
BELIEVER IN THE CODE AMONGST THIEVES.
HE KILLED THE KING OF RATS.
THAT MAKES HIM KING OF WHATEVER PRISON HE GOES TO,
AMONG THE HONOR OF THE CRIMINALS, YOU KNOW.
HE THEN GAINS THAT STATURE.
ONE, I AM SURE IT WAS HIM BECAUSE I FEEL HE IS SOMEWHAT
OF A SOCIOPATH ACTING OUT THAT ANGER AT BEING RATTED OUT ON.
AND THEN TWO, IT GIVES HIM STATURE.
HE KNOWS HE IS GOING TO BE IN PRISON THE REST OF HIS LIFE.
HE IS THE MAN WHO KILLED THE MOST WELL-KNOWN RAT OF ALL
TIME, WHITEY BULGER.
>> IN THE TIME THAT YOU WERE COVERING THIS ACTIVELY, DID
YOU EVER FEEL PERSONALLY THREATENED?
YOU TALK ABOUT THE BRUTAL NATURE OF --
>> I TOOK MEASURES TO PROTECT MYSELF.
>> MEANING?
>> I DID CARRY A WEAPON AND BECAUSE THERE WERE CERTAIN
THREATS AND I WOULD GET THEM THROUGH CERTAIN CHANNELS.
I WAS NEVER REALLY COMPLETELY CONCERNED BECAUSE FREDDY GEAS
WAS NOT STUPID BUT NOT AS SMART AS WHITEY AND HE KNEW
THAT IF HE DID SOMETHING TO A REPORTER, IT WOULD BRING
ATTENTION TO THEM.
AND SO FREDDY, ANTHONY ARROLOTA, I AM SURE HE WANTED
TO INTIMIDATE ME AND SAID THINGS THAT WOULD GET BACK TO
ME AND I AM IN I KNOW WAY SAYING I AM BRAVE, I JUST KNOW
THE WAY THEY CONDUCTED BUSINESS, THEY PROBABLY
WOULDN'T HAVE DONE ANYTHING BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT
MORE ATTENTION ON THEM.
AND THE LAST THING THEY WANT IN THAT LIFESTYLE IS ATTENTION
ON THEM.