Fotios “Freddy” Geas, the former Mafia enforcer currently serving a life sentence, received another 25 years in prison from a judge on Friday for brutally murdering notorious New England crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger within a federal prison in 2018. Geas pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury for the violent attack on Bulger.
Geas had been behind bars since 2011 for various crimes, including the 2003 murder of Genovese crime boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno. Prosecutors stated that Geas repeatedly beat the 89-year-old Bulger in the head with a lock connected to a belt shortly after the gangster arrived at USP Hazelton in West Virginia. Bulger had been transferred from another detention facility in Florida, and inmates were given advanced notice of his arrival.
In addition to Geas, two other inmates were charged for their involvement in Bulger’s murder. Massachusetts gangster Paul DeCologero was sentenced in August to an additional four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault. He had already been serving a 25-year sentence. DeCologero acted as a lookout for Geas, according to prosecutors.
Inmate Sean McKinnon also pleaded guilty in June and admitted to lying to FBI special agents when questioned about Bulger’s death and what he knew. McKinnon was serving 22 months for stealing firearms and was released from custody without receiving any additional prison time.
The three men’s plea deals were disclosed in May, with Geas and DeCologero being identified early on as suspects in Bulger’s killing but not charged until 2022. After the murder, prison officials faced criticism for placing high-profile Bulger in general population rather than protective custody.
Bulger led Boston’s largely Irish mob during the 1970s and ’80s and was an FBI informant who provided information on his gang’s main rival. He became one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994, following a tip from his FBI handler that he was about to be indicted. Bulger was captured at age 81 in California after more than 16 years on the run and was later convicted in 2013 for a string of 11 killings and numerous other gangland crimes, many of which were allegedly committed while he was said to be an FBI informant.
