83-year-old Boston mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger' was found guilty on 31 of 32 counts on Monday, CNN reported. Some of the charges he was found guilty for included extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and weapons possession. Bulger was also held responsible for the murder of 11 people.
Bulger now faces a maximum sentence of up to life plus 30 years in prison, news reports said.
"So many peoples' lives were so terribly harmed by the criminal actions of Bulger and his crew. And today's conviction does not alter that harm, and it doesn't lessen it," said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, speaking about the victims and their families. "However, we hope that they find some degree of comfort in the fact that today has come, and Bulger is being held accountable for his horrific crimes," she said.
The jury found that Bulger played a role in 11 of those murders, and that the evidence did not prove he was involved in seven, which have been since 1973.
Incidentally, Bulger's mob boss life inspired Jack Nicholson's character in the film "The Departed," which was directed by Martin Scorsese and won four Oscars in 2006, including best picture, CNN reported.
The FBI tracked him down in 2011 after 17 years on the run.
"It was important to him that the government corruption be exposed, and important to him that people see first hand the deals that the government was able to make with certain people," attorney Jay Carney told reporters.
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