According to court documents released following yesterday’s murder and racketeering conviction of legendary Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger, more than $800K and a cache of firearms seized by the feds during his 2011 capture in Santa Monica will be forfeited to the government. However, there’s one item that for the time being, the prosecution won’t attempt to repossess, and that’s a 1986 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Championship ring. From the Boston Globe’s Shelley Murphy, Milton J. Valencia and Martin Finucane :
It wasn’t clear who gave Bulger the ring. Bulger (above, right) paid for the wedding of NHL player Chris Nilan (left), who won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens, to Karen Stanley, daughter of Bulger’s late girlfriend Teresa Stanley. Nilan and Karen Stanley are now divorced.
It’s not clear if Bulger will ultimately get to keep the ring. The government has agreed not to pursue the ring at this stage of the case — the criminal forfeiture stage — because the ring can’t be shown to be part of Bulger’s criminal profits.
But it’s possible that the government, if Bulger is convicted, could seek a civil judgment for millions of dollars that Bulger allegedly stole during his career. And Bulger could be required to turn over the ring to satisfy that judgment.