John Connolly (FBI)

John Connolly
Born
John Joseph Connolly Jr.

(1940-08-01) August 1, 1940 (age 84)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Former FBI agent, former private security
Criminal statusReleased from prison in February 2021 on medical grounds
Spouses
Marianne Lockary
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1982)​
Elizabeth L. Moore
​
(m. 1988)​
[1]
Children3 (with Moore)
Conviction(s)Federal: 2002
State: November 6, 2008
Criminal chargeFederal: racketeering
State: second-degree murder
PenaltyFederal: 10 years in prison
State: 40 years in prison

John Joseph Connolly Jr. (born August 1, 1940)[2] is an American former FBI agent who was convicted of racketeering, obstruction of justice and murder charges stemming from his relationship with Boston mobsters James "Whitey" Bulger, Steve Flemmi and the Winter Hill Gang.

State and federal authorities had been trying to imprison Bulger for years, but he evaded capture until 2011. As the FBI handler for Bulger and Flemmi, Connolly (who was previously neighbors with Bulger's family in the Old Harbor Housing Project) had been protecting them from prosecution by supplying Bulger with information about possible attempts to catch them. Connolly was indicted on December 22, 1999, on charges of alerting Bulger and Flemmi to investigations, falsifying FBI reports to cover their crimes and accepting bribes.[3]

In 2000, Connolly was charged with additional racketeering-related offenses. He was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to ten years in federal prison.[4] In 2008, he was convicted on state charges of second-degree murder in Florida and sentenced to forty years in prison. He was released from federal prison on June 28, 2011,[5] and transferred to the Florida State Prison to serve the remainder of his sentence for his 2008 conviction.[6]

In April 2020, Connolly asked to be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence on home confinement due to fears of contracting COVID-19, citing a 2018 federal law allowing for compassionate release under "extraordinary" circumstances, such as age, health and other critical factors.[7] A Florida judge initially declined to order his release,[8] but Connolly was later granted a medical release on February 17, 2021.[9]

  1. ^ "John Connolly". Biography.com. A&E Networks. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Tamara Lush (February 8, 2007). "The G-man Snitch". Miami New Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  3. ^ Mahony, Edmund (December 23, 1999). "Former FBI agent indicted". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Helmore, Ed (June 2, 2002). "FBI's links to Irish crime lord exposed". The Observer. Archived from the original on June 12, 2002. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Locate a Federal Inmate: John J Connolly". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Former Lynnfielder Connolly Ends Federal Sentence Next Week". June 23, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  7. ^ Ovalle, David (April 22, 2020). "John Connolly, ex-FBI agent doing time for Miami murder, wants out over coronavirus fears". The Miami Herald.
  8. ^ Toohey, Grace (August 14, 2020). "John Connolly, ex-FBI agent doing time for Miami murder, wants out over coronavirus fears". Orlando Sentinel.
  9. ^ "John 'Zip' Connolly is a free man! Florida grants medical release". Boston Herald. February 17, 2021.