Sep 23, 2008 2:42 pm US/Eastern
Flemmi Says Ex-FBI Agent Tipped Him Off For Murder
MIAMI (AP) ―
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Stephen Flemmi testifies at John Connolly's murder trial in Miami on Sept. 22.
WBZ
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John Connolly in a Miami courtroom Sept. 8
WBZ
A phone call from an FBI agent set in motion the 1982 murder of a gambling executive, a former Boston mobster testified Tuesday.
Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi , testifying at the murder trial of FBI agent
John Connolly, said plans for the murder of former World Jai-Alai president John Callahan began after the mob got a phone call from Connolly.
Agents wanted to question Callahan about another murder orchestrated by the mob and believed he would cooperate, Flemmi said he was told. Boston's Winter Hill Gang believed Callahan needed to be killed to ensure his silence, Flemmi said.
Connolly, 68, is accused of helping orchestrate Callahan's death. He is already serving a 10-year federal prison sentence on racketeering and other charges but faces life in prison if convicted in the current case.
During cross-examination later Tuesday Connolly's attorney Manuel Casabielle argued that Flemmi had lied in the past under oath and was mad at his client.
"That was then, it's different now," Flemmi said when asked about his past misstatements. "Now I'm cooperating with the government. I'm telling the truth."
Flemmi blamed Connolly for past lies.
"I expected the FBI to come to my defense and support me, and John Connolly assured me that that would happen. That's the reason why I wasn't candid," Flemmi said during questioning that was at times contentious.
"You have a habit of taking things out of context," Flemmi told Casabielle at one point.
The trial is expected to last two months.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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