Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal Chapter 3 Summary

Hard Ball

• Local District Attorney William Delahunt is going to a dinner meeting with a few other government prosecutors. He's heading over to the restaurant now.
• Unbeknownst to him, the restaurant is also being visited right now by Whitey Bulger and two other gangsters who are trying to shake down its owner for $175,000 dollars.
• In fact, Delahunt knows one of these gangsters—Johnny Martorano—from childhood. The two "former school chums" immediately notice each other and start chatting (1.3.3).
• Their repartee quickly becomes an argument, and the two men separate—but not before Delahunt recognizes one of Martorano's bros as Stevie Flemmi.
• Although Delahunt doesn't know it at the time, the gangsters, led by Bulger, later assault restaurant owner Francis Green to force him to pay back the debt he owes them.
• Green had seen Martorano mingling with Delahunt that night, so he's freaked out. In a panic, he contacts Richard Harrington, "the former chief prosecutor at the federal Organized Crime Strike Force for New England" (1.3.12).
• When asked about the meeting with Martorano, Delahunt assures Harrington that it was nothing but a chance encounter, but is eager at the inadvertent opportunity to take down Bulger.
• They decide to pass off the case to the FBI, as bureau will have more resources to take down the gangsters. This turns out to be a major mistake.
• The report lands on the desk of Connolly, who does some perfunctory investigation before claiming that "Green was reluctant to testify" against Whitey, which isn't true at all (1.3.21).
• This is the first but far from the last time that Connolly will sweep one of Bulger's crimes under the rug.
• Delahunt can't understand why the FBI doesn't want to pursue this slam dunk case, but gets a hint five years later after he cuts a deal with an informant named Myles Connor, who works with Bulger.
• Connor is a fascinating guy: he's a rock musician, certified genius, art thief, and murderer. (We were writing up wedding proposals up until the last one.)
• Delahunt knows that his deal with Connor is controversial, but he's shocked by just how hard Connolly works to keep Connor's story under wraps. Not to mention suspicious.
• The story is eventually leaked to the media, and Connolly proves himself to be as adept at working reporters as he is with covering up crimes.