Richard J. Schneiderhan
Encyclopedia
Richard Joseph Schneiderhan (born c. 1934 in Roxbury, Massachusetts
) is a former Massachusetts State Police
Lieutenant
in the Attorney General's
Organized Crime Unit. He was convicted of conspiracy
and obstruction of justice
stemming from his relationship with gangster Stephen Flemmi
and the Winter Hill Gang
. Schneiderhan had warned an associate of fugitive gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger
that Bulger's brothers' phones were being monitored by the FBI.
, Donau, Germany
. He grew up in a tenement
at 25 Ambrose Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts
, in the predominantly Italian Orchard Park neighborhood where the Patriarca crime family
capo
Ilario Zannino
, Ilario's first cousin Phillip Zannino, and the Flemmi brothers were born and raised.
As a childhood friend of the brothers Vincent Flemmi
, Michael Flemmi and Stephen Flemmi
, he idolized Stephen and maintained a friendship with him into adulthood.
He graduated from high school in 1952. He served in the Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Koren War. After his honorable discharge he joined the Boston Police Department
, where he worked with (now Detective) Michael Flemmi and Detective Joseph Lundbaum. In 1959 he joined the Massachusetts State Police. From 1968 to 1978 he worked in the Attorney General's Organized Crime Unit, where he rose to chief intelligence officer
and was regarded as an expert on organized crime.
Working in the unit gave him access to information that could help his friend Stephen Flemmi
, now a powerful figure in the Winter Hill Gang, and from whom he accepted bribes.
When Flemmi went to jail in 1999, Schneiderhan kept in touch with him and with Kevin Weeks
, Bulger's deputy, who knew that Schneiderhan had done many favors for the gang.
In September 1999, Schneiderhan learned from his brother-in-law about the FBI telephone surveillance of Bulger's brothers. He informed Weeks, who in turn informed Bulger. When, two months later, Weeks was arrested on racketeering charges, he began cooperating with the authorities, which included helping to find the bodies of six gang victims and giving up Schneiderhan.
Schneiderhan was called to testify before Grand Jury
corruption
hearings because of his relationship with Flemmi and the Winter Hill Gang. In letters to his son Eric, he had written that if he ever got into a jam with the law he should contact "Paul". When Eric told the grand jury he wasn't sure if "Paul" was his father's code name for Flemmi, he was indicted for perjury
, but found not guilty at trial.
On March 19, 2003, Schneiderhan was convicted of conspiracy
and obstruction of justice
.
His two co-defendants – his brother-in-law and niece – pleaded guilty for their roles in warning of the FBI telephone surveillance and were sentenced to one year of probation
.
Schneiderhan was remanded to the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina
. He was released on October 4, 2006.
In August 2003, the Massachusetts State Board of Retirement ruled that the disability pension
Schneiderhan began receiving when he retired in 1984 should continue because he was no longer a member of the state police when he committed his crimes.
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
) is a former Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Attorney General's
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
Organized Crime Unit. He was convicted of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
stemming from his relationship with gangster Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
and the Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
. Schneiderhan had warned an associate of fugitive gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger
James J. Bulger
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is a former organized crime figure from Boston, Massachusetts.Local folklore depicted Bulger as a Robin Hood-style social bandit dedicated to protecting the neighborhood and its residents. Bulger allegedly masterminded a protection racket targeting drug kingpins...
that Bulger's brothers' phones were being monitored by the FBI.
Biography
Schneiderhan was born to working-class immigrants from RiedlingenRiedlingen
Riedlingen is a town in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, in the south-west of Germany. It is one of the destinations of the Upper Swabian Baroque Route. There are ca. 10,000 inhabitants.- Geography :...
, Donau, Germany
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. He grew up in a tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
at 25 Ambrose Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, in the predominantly Italian Orchard Park neighborhood where the Patriarca crime family
Patriarca crime family
The Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England crime family and the Providence crime family, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in New England, specifically Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, and is part of the Italian-American Mafia or "La Cosa Nostra"...
capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
Ilario Zannino
Ilario Zannino
Ilario "Larry Baione" Maria Antonio Zannino was the muscle and chief gambling honcho for Raymond J. Patriarca and the Patriarca crime family. Zannino was said to be the second-highest-ranking figure in the Boston faction of the Patriarca family...
, Ilario's first cousin Phillip Zannino, and the Flemmi brothers were born and raised.
As a childhood friend of the brothers Vincent Flemmi
Vincent Flemmi
Vincent James Flemmi , also known as "Jimmy The Bear," was an Italian-American mobster who freelanced for the Winter Hill Gang and the Patriarca crime family. He was also a longtime informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was also the brother of government informant Stephen...
, Michael Flemmi and Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
, he idolized Stephen and maintained a friendship with him into adulthood.
He graduated from high school in 1952. He served in the Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Koren War. After his honorable discharge he joined the Boston Police Department
Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
, where he worked with (now Detective) Michael Flemmi and Detective Joseph Lundbaum. In 1959 he joined the Massachusetts State Police. From 1968 to 1978 he worked in the Attorney General's Organized Crime Unit, where he rose to chief intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
and was regarded as an expert on organized crime.
Working in the unit gave him access to information that could help his friend Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Flemmi
Stephen Joseph "The Rifleman" Flemmi is an Italian-American mobster and close associate of Winter Hill Gang boss James J. Bulger. Beginning in 1965, Flemmi was a top echelon informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
, now a powerful figure in the Winter Hill Gang, and from whom he accepted bribes.
When Flemmi went to jail in 1999, Schneiderhan kept in touch with him and with Kevin Weeks
Kevin Weeks
Kevin Weeks is a former mobster of Irish-American descent and a longtime friend and confidant to James J. Bulger, the infamous boss of the Winter Hill Gang, a crime family based out of the Winter Hill neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts.After his arrest and imprisonment in 1999, he became a...
, Bulger's deputy, who knew that Schneiderhan had done many favors for the gang.
In September 1999, Schneiderhan learned from his brother-in-law about the FBI telephone surveillance of Bulger's brothers. He informed Weeks, who in turn informed Bulger. When, two months later, Weeks was arrested on racketeering charges, he began cooperating with the authorities, which included helping to find the bodies of six gang victims and giving up Schneiderhan.
Schneiderhan was called to testify before Grand Jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
hearings because of his relationship with Flemmi and the Winter Hill Gang. In letters to his son Eric, he had written that if he ever got into a jam with the law he should contact "Paul". When Eric told the grand jury he wasn't sure if "Paul" was his father's code name for Flemmi, he was indicted for perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, but found not guilty at trial.
On March 19, 2003, Schneiderhan was convicted of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
.
His two co-defendants – his brother-in-law and niece – pleaded guilty for their roles in warning of the FBI telephone surveillance and were sentenced to one year of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
Schneiderhan was remanded to the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina
Butner, North Carolina
Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,591 at the 2010 census]. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. A bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly incorporating the town was signed by Gov. Mike Easley on...
. He was released on October 4, 2006.
In August 2003, the Massachusetts State Board of Retirement ruled that the disability pension
Disability pension
A disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. It is distinct from welfare.- North America :...
Schneiderhan began receiving when he retired in 1984 should continue because he was no longer a member of the state police when he committed his crimes.