Updated Bulger photo/wbur

The lawyers for James “Whitey” Bulger have received an extra 2 weeks to review his case before deciding whether they can be properly prepared for trial.

Attorney J.W. Carney has been struggling to wade through hundreds of thousands of pages of evidence related to a 1999 indictment for crimes allegedly committed in the 1970s and 1980s, reports Reuters.

The 82 year old mob boss and FBI informant is accused of 19 murders. Bulger was arrested with his girlfriend at their hideout last June 22 after the FBI made a renewed push to find him.

For all the glut of evidence Carney must sift through, he says important pieces have been withheld. He believes prosecutors have sealed evidence to protect corrupt cops from public scrutiny, according to Reuters, and that the missing information may be hampering his ability to defend his client.

“The government doesn’t want to have everyone know about the depth of corruption that went on for decades in this city,” Carney said, according to Reuters.

James “Whitey” Bulger’s story of crime boss-turned-informant inspired Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar-winning film “The Departed.”

The real story is none too flattering for the Boston FBI back in the day when it let Bulger step over the line while he snitched on his enemies.

To read more click here.

Shoshanna Utchenik

Jury deliberation drags on for an 8th day in ex-presidential hopeful John Edwards’ corruption case.

The jury must decide whether $925,000 in gifts, used to cover up Edwards’ extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter, was merely social capital, or illegal campaign contributions… and they must decide whether Edwards understood them as such.

The jury has been deliberating since May 18, sifting through 17 days of testimony from 31 witnesses, reports the L.A. Times. However much of the testimony in this high-profile case was less lurid than Edwards’ affair and focused on forensic examinations of bank transactions, and scrutiny of campaign finance laws.

The former vice-presidential candidate and presidential hopeful could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all six counts against him. But these high stakes are not ruling the mood in the court, which doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.

As graduation season arrives, many of the jurors have been allowed to wag the dog as U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagle adapted the deliberation schedule to their family calendars.

Reporters have not come up with any theories regarding an apparent fashion statement: the four alternate jurors all wore yellow on Thursday, red on Friday, and on Tuesday, they wore gray and black.

But decoding that secret message ought to kill some time as the bored spectators wait for a verdict.

To read more click here.

tsa photo

After Sept. 11, 2001, it’s still amazing to find how common it is for people to bring guns to airports.

On occasion, ticklethewire.com likes to check in to see just how many folks still bring guns.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, 30 loaded guns and two unloaded ones were discovered at airport checkpoints during the week of May 11 to May 17.

A TSA blog also noted that there were seven incidents in a week in which drugs were found on passengers using imaging technology.

“We’re not looking for drugs, but finding these nonmetallic items in areas where explosives could also be hidden is a testament that the technology works,” the TSA blog said. “In addition to these discoveries, there was also a passenger at Anchorage who attempted to sneak in a tube of toothpaste by placing it in her groin area. This was an attempt to get it through after we had already caught it in her bag earlier. If you’re not familiar with why toothpaste is prohibited, you can read about our liquid policies here.”

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