Brian P Wallace - Final Confession: The Unsolved Crimes of Phil Cresta

IN FEBRUARY 1972, Harvard Law professor Archibald Cox, who would be the special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal from 1973 on, served for three months as counsel to a Massachusetts legislative committee investigating charges of judicial impropriety against two state Superior Court judges, Edward J. DeSaulnier Jr. and VICTOR BOWMAN. The committee had the sole power to remove either judge from the bench. In January of that same year, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had ordered disbarment as a lawyer for Judge DeSaulnier, but DeSaulnier subsequently resigned from the bench, so Cox declared that case moot. That same Supreme Court had censured Judge Bowman and referred the case to Coxs legislative committee for decision.

On April 11, 1972, on the basis of Coxs investigation, the legislative committee recommended no further action against Judge Bowman. Bowman continued to serve as a judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court until March 1982, when he resigned, citing low salary as a reason. In his letter to then-governor Edward J. King, Bowman stated, The salary of a Superior Court judge may be enough to live on if one has no dependents; unfortunately, it is not enough to die on. Victor Bowman took up the practice of law as a defense attorney.

On December 2, 1982, according to the Boston Globe, minutes after payroll driver Andrew DeLeary drove away from an East Boston bank with his companys weekly payrollalmost $4,200 in cashhe was held at gunpoint. One of the robbers grabbed the money and ordered DeLeary into the trunk of his car. He was rescued 20 minutes later after a bystander who had witnessed the incident called police. Given that it was DeLeary who originally approached Angelo and Tony about the 1968 Brinks robbery, one might wonderwas this also planned? Or was it some kind of odd retribution?

JERRY ANGIULO is presently in prison on federal racketeering charges.

JOHN RED KELLEY was placed in protective custody on June 4, 1969. He became one of the FBIs top witnesses against the mob. He apparently was held under heavy guard at Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire when needed for testimony. In March 1970, after having testified in several other cases, he helped put Raymond Patriarca, the head of La Cosa Nostra, in prison. He was then placed in the witness protection program. Nobody knows for sure if he is alive or dead today. If he is alive, which is highly unlikely, he would be in his eighties.

AUGIE CIRCELLA, along with his brother Nicky and other Chicago mobsters, was arrested on a charge of extortion in connection with a million-dollar scandal involving the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and 20th Century Fox. Augies brother was found guilty and deported to Mexico, where he ran a fleet of shrimp boats until he died. Charges against Augie were dismissed for lack of evidence. He returned to Chicago, where he died.

Phil Crestas older brother, MIKE, became a Medford police officer, and pretty much separated himself from most of his family.

The date of MARI Cresta Circellas divorce from Augie has not been established, but it is known that they continued to spend time together. She lived in various cities after leaving Chicago, including Miami, where she dated Johnny Irish for a while. She died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 25, 1998.

Phils younger sister, rose, took care of her mother until she died in 1999.

His younger brother BILLY BAD CRESTA became well-known in Miami and New York, and was considered to be close to Columbos Carmine Persico and Johnny Irish. He died early in the year 2000.

His youngest brother, BOBBY, like Phil, became an expert pick man. He was arrested in December 1983 and did six years for conspiracy to import twenty-five tons of marijuana. He is presently free and living in New Hampshire, and contributed greatly to this book.

EDWARD MCALENEY is no longer living.

SERGEANT JIM DOHERTY is alive and well, living on Cape Cod. He has vivid memories of that Cresta kid as being the toughest son of a bitch he ever met. He especially remembers the night Phil fought the entire on-duty staff at the Cambridge police station, when Doherty was trying to arrest him.

LOUIE DIAMONDS COHEN, Phil once said, reminded me of Ben Tilley. He liked to hang around with wise guys and he loved the action. But he didnt want to take any of the risks involved. Like Tilley, he also kissed Angiulos asswhich made me sick. Phil was not sympathetic when he heard that Louie Diamonds, who always seemed to be a phone call away from being whacked, disappeared. It is not clear whether he was killed, or whether he took off before being killed.

After Phil was released from his last prison term, he received an invitation to meet WHITEY BULGER at a bar in Southie. As usual, Phil arrived early. While drinking a beer in Triple Os, he noticed a lot of punks and druggies hanging out there. Uneasy, Phil left, telling the bartender to tell Bulger hed been there. He never heard from Whitey again.