OCALA, Fla. — An Ocala man was arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal beating of notorious mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in a West Virginia prison several years ago.
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Sean McKinnon, 36, was arrested in Ocala by FBI Jacksonville special agents in connection with Bulger’s death. He is being charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and making false statements to a federal agent.
McKinnon was on federal supervised release in Florida at the time of the indictment.
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Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 55, and Paul “Pauly” J. DeColegero, 48, are facing the same conspiracy charge in addition to charges of aiding and abetting first-degree murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Gaes is also facing a separate charge for murder by a federal inmate serving a life sentence.
Both Geas and DeCologero are accused of striking Bulger in the head multiple times while incarcerated at the U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, in October 2018.
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Geas is still incarcerated at USP Hazelton, while DeCologero remains housed in the federal prison system but is no longer being held at USP Hazelton.
Whitey Bulger was 89 years old when he was killed in prison. His infamous crime legacy has inspired several films, including the 2015 film “Black Mass,” where Johnny Depp portrayed Bulger.
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Bulger was beaten to death hours after he was transferred from a Florida prison, according to The Associated Press. Bulger was serving a life sentence for 11 murders and other crimes, according to the news organization.
The leader of Boston’s Irish crime syndicate had been on the run for 16 years when he was caught by authorities in Santa Monica, California, in 2011, NBC News reported. He was sentenced to life in prison two years later.
Bulger’s family had previously filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 30 unnamed employees of the prison system, the AP reported. His family members alleged that prison officials failed to protect Bulger when he was transferred to the West Virginia facility.
Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.
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