John Shea (mobster)

Last updated

John "Red" Shea (born August 12, 1965) is an American former mobster from Boston involved in narcotics and an associate of crime kingpin Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang during the 1980s and 1990s. He was indicted on cocaine trafficking charges in 1990 and served 12 years in prison.

Shea wrote a book called Rat Bastards; The Story of South Boston's Most Honorable Irish Mobster about his experience with the Winter Hill Gang. His refusal to accept a plea deal to testify against his associates led him to serve the full sentence for his conviction. John Shea continued his writing career with the acclaimed young adult novel A Kid From Southie. [1] [2] The story was inspired by John's life, growing up with an alcoholic father, pursuing the dream of becoming a boxer, living a teenage romance as he navigates a world of organized crime in South Boston as by someone who experienced it.

During a game of football with Wahlberg and actor Alec Baldwin on the set of The Departed , Baldwin accidentally fractured Shea's thumb. [3]

John continues to do national and local commentary for the news media, CNN, FOX and others on Whitey Bulger and additional stories about organized crime.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bulger</span> American politician, lawyer, educator, and President of the Massachusetts Senate

William Michael Bulger is an American former Democratic politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts. His eighteen-year tenure as President of the Massachusetts Senate is the longest in history. He then became president of the University of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitey Bulger</span> American gangster and crime boss (1929–2018)

James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr. was an American organized crime boss who led the Winter Hill Gang in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, a city directly northwest of Boston. On December 23, 1994, Bulger fled the Boston area and went into hiding after his former FBI handler, John Connolly, tipped him off about a pending RICO indictment against him. Bulger remained at large for sixteen years. After his 2011 arrest, federal prosecutors tried Bulger for nineteen murders based on grand jury testimony from Kevin Weeks and other former criminal associates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howie Carr</span> American journalist and political commentator (born 1952)

Howard Louis Carr Jr. is an American conservative radio talk-show host, political author, news reporter and award-winning writer.

The Winter Hill Gang is a loose confederation of organized crime figures in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. The gang members and leadership are predominantly Irish-American with many members of Italian-American descent.

The Irish Mob is a family based ethnic collective of organized crime syndicates composed of primarily ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and have been in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish-American street gangs – famously first depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1927 book, The Gangs of New York – the Irish Mob has appeared in most major U.S. and Canadian cities, especially in the Northeast and the urban industrial, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Chicago.

<i>Southie</i> (film) 1999 American film

Southie is a 1999 American film directed by John Shea starring Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, Anne Meara, Jimmy Cummings, Lawrence Tierney, Robert Wahlberg, Will Arnett, Shea, and Amanda Peet. The film centers around Danny Quinn, a former "street kid" from South Boston, returning home to find his family deeper into organized crime than when he left, and his struggles to not fall back into his previous life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Salemme</span> American criminal (1933–2022)

Francis Patrick Salemme, sometimes spelled Salemmi, also known as "Cadillac Frank" and "Julian Daniel Selig", was an American mobster from Boston, Massachusetts who became a hitman and eventually the boss of the Patriarca crime family of New England before turning government witness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howie Winter</span> American mobster (1929–2020)

Howard Thomas Winter was an American mobster who was a boss of the Winter Hill Gang in Somerville, Massachusetts.

John Joseph Connolly Jr. is an American former FBI agent who was convicted of racketeering, obstruction of justice, and murder charges stemming from his relationship with James "Whitey" Bulger, Steve Flemmi, and the Winter Hill Gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Weeks</span> American mobster (born 1956)

Kevin Weeks is an American former mobster and longtime friend and mob lieutenant to Whitey Bulger, the infamous boss of the Winter Hill Gang, a crime family based in the Winter Hill neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Paul McGonagle Sr. was an Irish-American mobster and leader of the Mullen Gang, a South Boston street crew involved in burglary and armed robbery.

The Mullen Gang was an Irish-American gang operating in Boston.

John James Vincent Martorano is an American former gangster and former hitman for the Winter Hill Gang in Boston, Massachusetts, who has admitted to 20 mob-related killings.

Richard J. Castucci Sr. was an American member of the Patriarca crime family who owned several strip clubs and was involved in illegal gambling. Castucci eventually became a government informant.

James Martorano is an American organized crime figure with ties to the Winter Hill Gang of South Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the Patriarca crime family as of 1995. Martorano is the younger brother of notorious "hitman" and later government witness, John Martorano.

Timothy A. Connolly III, aka "Timmy Connolly" and "TC", was an American former South Boston bar owner and mortgage broker, who wore a wire inside the infamous Winter Hill Gang and helped the federal government indict their two leaders, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen Flemmi. The public was led to believe that Tim Connolly was merely a businessman and an innocent victim of one of Jim Bulger's many extortions. But in truth, Tim Connolly was secretly a "made member" of the Winter Hill gang and a high ranking lieutenant in this Bulger crime family.

42.3535°N 71.0580°W

The Old Colony Housing Project is a 16.7-acre public housing project located in South Boston, Massachusetts. First built in 1940 as a cluster of 22 three-story brick buildings housing 873 low-income units, it is one of the Boston Housing Authority's oldest developments.

<i>Black Mass</i> (film) 2015 American film

Black Mass is a 2015 American biographical crime drama film about American mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The film features an ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp as Bulger, alongside Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.

Fotios "Freddy" Geas is an American criminal associated with the Genovese crime family, based in New York City. He is a former Mafia hitman operating out of Springfield, Massachusetts and often worked with his brother Ty. He was accused of having orchestrated the 2018 murder of Winter Hill Gang mobster Whitey Bulger in prison, and was charged in relation to the incident in August 2022.

References

  1. "Review: A Kid From Southie". www.publishersweekly.com. Publishers Weekly. June 13, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  2. Shea, John "Red"; Harmon, Michael (2011). A Kid from Southie (1st ed.). Lodi, N.J.: WestSide Books. ISBN   978-1-934813-53-9.
  3. "Baldwin Breaks Felon's Thumb in Football Game". contactmusic.com. Contactmusic.com Ltd. February 14, 2007. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2022.