Mafia hit man who ‘hated rats’ suspected in Whitey Bulger’s slaying

BOSTON — A Mafia hit man who is said to hate “rats” is under suspicion in the slaying of former Boston crime boss and longtime FBI informant James “Whitey” Bulger, who was found dead just hours after he was transferred to a West Virginia prison, a former investigator briefed on the matter said Wednesday.

The official said that Fotios “Freddy” Geas and at least one other inmate are believed to have been involved in Bulger’s killing. The longtime investigator was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death for the 89-yearold Bulger. He was found dead Tuesday.

Geas, 51, and his brother were sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for their roles in several violent crimes, including the 2003 killing of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a Genovese crime family boss who was gunned down in a Springfield, Mass., parking lot.

Private investigator Ted McDonough, who knew Geas, told the Boston Globe: “Freddy hated rats.

“Freddy hated guys who abused women. Whitey was a rat who killed women. It’s probably that simple,” McDonough told the newspaper, which first reported that Geas was under suspicion.

It was not clear whether Geas has an attorney. Several other lawyers who represented him over the years didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

An FBI spokesperson in Pittsburgh declined to comment on Geas. Federal officials said only that they are investigating the death as a homicide.

Bulger led South Boston’s Irish mob for decades and became an FBI informant, in an era when bringing down the Italian mob was a top national priority for the bureau.