News

Bulger offers $822k to victims' families

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) – In a move that no one expected Friday, James "Whitey" Bulger agreed to surrender more than $800,000 recovered from his Santa Monica apartment to families of some of his alleged victims.

Before the jury entered the courtroom, Bulger's attorney J.W. Carney said the reputed mobster would be willing to surrender the $822,198 to the families of Brian Halloran and Michael Donahue.

Prosecutor Brian Kelly said it has always been the intention of the government to give Bulger's seized assets to victims' families, but he said he isn't sure Bulger "can dictate which ones get" money.

The Halloran and Donahue families had been awarded a combined $8.5 million in 2007 after a judge ruled the FBI was responsible for the deaths of the men. The judgment was overturned in 2011 by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court after the court found the lawsuits were filed after the statute of limitations had run out.

Tommy Donahue, Michael Donahue's son, became emotional at the gesture.

Bulger won't testify in his own defense at his racketeering trial, but he says the decision is "involuntary."

Follow

@bward3

and

@fox25court

on Twitter for updates.