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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTFOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS PETER J. LIMONE, et al.,)Plaintiffs,))v.) Civ. Action No. 02cv10890-NG)UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,)Defendant.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER RE: BENCH TRIAL
July 26, 2007
I.INTRODUCTION......................-1-II.PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND................-10-III.FACT FINDINGS....................-15-A.The FBI Program to "Get" La Cosa Nostra.....-20-1.Patriarca Wire...............-21-2."Top Echelon Criminal Informant Program"..-22-3.Significance of (1) and (2)........-24-B.The Boston FBI, the Flemmi Brothers and Barboza.-25-1.Agents Rico and Condon...........-25-2.The Flemmi Brothers............-27-a.Jimmy Flemmi.............-28-b.Stephen Flemmi............-31-3.Using the Flemmi Brothers to Turn Barboza into a Witness..................-34-4.Rico and Condon Meet with Barboza.....-35-a.Meetings Before September 1967....-37-(1)March 8, 1967..........-37-(2)March 21, 1967..........-38-(3)April 11, 1967..........-40-(4)April 27, 1967..........-41-(5)May 22, 1967...........-41-(6)Summer of 1967..........-42-b.Barboza Mentions the Plaintiffs for the FirstTime on September 8, 1967.......-45-(1)What the FBI Knew about the DeeganMurder
Before
The Murder.....-46-
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(2)What the FBI Knew
after
the Murder.................-49-(3)What the Local Authorities Knew aboutthe Deegan Murder........-56-c.The September 8 Interview and theIndictment.........-58-C.The Deegan Trial................-63-1.Trial Preparation: An Allegedly "IndependentInvestigation"...............-63-2.The Trial.................-70-3.The Verdict................-79-D.Between the Deegan Murder Trial and the NolleProsequi....................-80-1.Praises for Rico and Condon........-80-2.The Involvement of the FBI Hierarchy....-82-3.Protecting and Providing for Barboza....-84-4.1970 Rico Admission............-85-5.Barboza Attempts to Recant.........-86-6.Barboza Murders Clay Wilson and Brags about HisFalse Testimony in the Deegan Trial....-91-7.Rico’s Methods Are Exposed - Still Nothing is Done......................-97-8.The FBI and Stephen Flemmi in the 1980s..-99-9.Deegan Defendants’ Efforts Post-Conviction.-101-a.Salvati Commutation Petitions.....-103-b.Limone Commutation Petitions.....-104-c.Tameleo Commutation Petitions.....-106-d.Greco Commutation Petitions......-106-10.The Conspiracy of Silence.........-107-IV.CONCLUSIONS OF LAW..................-109-A.Prior Issues..................-110-1.Discretionary Function Exception......-110-2.The FTCA’s Exception for Malicious Prosecution Claims......................-113-B.Malicious Prosecution..............-114-1.Initiation.................-120-a.The FBI’s Role in Bringing about theProsecution of the Plaintiffs: More than aHost.................-123-b.The Information Provided by Barboza Was Falseor Misleading -- and the FBI Knew it.-128-c.There Was No Independent Investigation: ThereCould Not Be.............-130-
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d.The FBI’s Efforts Continued over Thirty Years...................-132-2.Lack of Probable Cause...........-134-a.Information Available to the FBI at the Time-135-(1)Barboza’s Credibility......-135-(2)Limone and Tameleo........-136-(3)Greco..............-136-(4)Salvati.............-137-b.Conviction is Not Conclusive Proof ofProbable Cause on these Facts.....-138-
(1) Subornation
...........-140-(2)Due Process...........-144-
(3) FBI’s Misconduct/Barboza’s Testimony
-The Sole Foundation
.......-146-(a)The Fitzgerald Bribe Testimony..............-146-(b)The Stathopolous Identification..............-147-c.No Other Evidence...........-148-3.Malice and Termination...........-149-4.Not a "Failure to Disclose" Claim.....-151-5.Massachusetts Survival Statute.......-154-C.Civil Conspiracy................-155-D.Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress..-162-1.Deegan Defendants’ Claims.........-162-2.Family Members’ Claims...........-165-a.Substantially Contemporaneous Knowledge...................-166-b.Severe Emotional Response.......-168-E.Negligence...................-169-1.The Government Was Directly Negligent...-169-2.Negligent Supervision...........-175- V.DAMAGES.......................-180-A.Facts......................-181-1.Limone Plaintiffs.............-181-a.Peter Limone Sr. ...........-181-b.The Family..............-184-2.Salvati Plaintiffs.............-188-a.Joseph Salvati............-188-b.The Family..............-189-3.Tameleo Plaintiffs.............-192-a.Henry Tameleo.............-192-b.The Family..............-193-4.Greco and Werner Plaintiffs........-194-
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