Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Life of a Supersnitch: Kill 20 people, rat out your boss, get $20K

Here's a classically disturbing informant story for you: Kill 20 people, rat out your boss, then get $20K from the taxpayers after you finish your 12-year prison stint. ("US paid hit man $20,000 on release," Boston Globe Jan. 16)

This is the same informant I mentioned that was recently interviewed on 60 Minutes who ratted out Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and the FBI agents who protected him. In all, he spent seven months in prison for each murder, at least the ones he admitted, then received a "$1,000 a head" cash bonus on the back end.

By comparison, the New York Times reported last year that 40% of innocent men exonerated by DNA evidence weren't compensated by the government at all for their wrongful incarceration. But this mass murderer gets $20K?

What's wrong with that picture?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rings to mind Jimmie Ellard who was instrumental in helping Pablo Escobar in blowing up a Colombian jet liner. Killed 107 people on board to ensure the demise of two people that Escobar had felt turned on him. United States Attorney, Terrance Thompson gave him a plea deal to turn against Rodney Matthews who was charged with smuggling large loads of narcotics into the country. Once Ellard did that, he was free after serviing only 6 years for the premeditated murder of 107 people.

Anonymous said...

The problem with the picture, as I've indicated before, lies in the offices of the US Attorney General and the US Attorneys in their individual districts. They have entirely too much discretion, and most have entirely too much ambition. The combination causes them to lose control of their career advancement impulses.