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Informant/Hit Man In 20 Murders Released After 12 Years; Paid $20,000
by John E. Dannenberg
A hit man with 20 cold-blooded murders under his belt, but who turned government informant to expose a dirty FBI agent, was released from a Massachusetts state prison in 2007 after serving only 12 years. To help him get on his feet, the U.S. Drug Enforcement …
A hit man with 20 cold-blooded murders under his belt, but who turned government informant to expose a dirty FBI agent, was released from a Massachusetts state prison in 2007 after serving only 12 years. To help him get on his feet, the U.S. Drug Enforcement …
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More from this issue:
- Oregon DOC Food Manager Takes Over $1 Million in Bribes, Feeds Prisoners “Distressed” Food, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- C O R R E C T I O N
- Los Angeles County Pays $40,000 Damages to Assaulted Prisoner Informant Witness
- Deal to Reconsider 1,000 Paroles Scotched When New York Governor Capitulates Over Cop Killer’s Case, by John Dannenberg
- Phoenix New Times Executives Arrested for Reporting About Sheriff Joe Arpaio, by Matthew T. Clarke
- Mississippi Jail Prisoner Wins $3,000,000 in Failure to Protect Suit
- Oklahoma Pays $844,000 for Comprehensive Performance Audit of DOC, by Matthew Clarke
- $300,000 Settlement in Murder of College Student by Released Sexual Predator
- Human Rights Watch Report: Most Sex Offender Laws Misguided and Ineffective, by Matthew Clarke
- More Prisoners Murdered in Texas Federal Prisons, by Gary Hunter
- Illinois Prisoners Win $8 Million for Failure to Treat Hep C
- Fifth Circuit: Federal Prisoner Loses Retaliation Suit but U.S. Attorney Sanctioned, by John Dannenberg
- Over $6 Million Awarded in Oakland, California Parolee’s False Arrest Suit, by John Dannenberg
- Washington Inter-Prison Property-Shipping-Fee Class Action Suit Settles For $1,262,500, by John Dannenberg
- Unlocking America, Why and How to Reduce America’s Prison Population, The JFA Institute, November 2007, 32 pp., by John Dannenberg
- Former North Carolina Lawmaker’s Son Submits Highest Bid, Gets Prison Contract, by David Reutter
- Complaint Against Utah DOC for Non-Delivery of PLN Fails Because Defendants Only Negligent; Jail Publication Ban Illegal, by John Dannenberg
- Maryland Juvenile Justice Official Resigns Over Past Abuse Allegations, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Prison Medical Firm’s Performance Called into Question
- $64,900 Award in Arkansas Excessive Force Claim; Warden Held Not Liable, by David Reutter
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to Pay for Grant Fraud
- Floor-Sleeping at Los Angeles County Jail Ruled Unconstitutional, by John Dannenberg
- Eighth Circuit: Iowa Prisoner’s Denial-Of-Court-Access Ruling Reversed
- Court Orders Attorney General to Allow Law Students Access to Political Prisoners at Federal Supermax, by Brandon Sample
- Mentally Ill Woman Sues Over Seg-Cell Sex; County Settles for $40,000
- Alabama Felon Disenfranchisement Limited
- Three Suicide Suits At Sacramento, California Jail Settled For $1,000,000
- Muslim Virginia Prisoner Entitled to 2,200 Calories During Ramadan
- Ohio DNA Specimen Law Ruled Not Retroactive
- Authorities Listen in on Attorney-Client Calls at Jails in FL, CA and TX, by David Reutter
- Illinois Man Falsely Arrested in Attempted Child Abduction Awarded $2 Million
- Court Clerk Fired for Relationship with Prisoner; Bar Complaint Against Federal Prosecutor Exposed Relationship
- Exonerated Montana Prisoner Sues State, Receives $3.5 Million
- United Kingdom Creates Foreigner Only Prisons, by David Reutter
- CMS Found Liable for Inadequate Hep C Medical Care of Delaware Prisoner
- Vermont DOC Settles Religious Practice Denial Suit For $25,000
- New York Man Wins $640,000 for Unjust Incarceration
- Whistle-blowing California Sheriff’s Deputy Settles Retaliation Suit For $150,000, by John Dannenberg
- Fifth Circuit: Texas Prisoners Cannot be Disciplined for Trust Fund Deposits Initiated by Others, by Matthew Clarke
- “Special Circumstances” Justify Non-Exhaustion in Second Circuit
- Retaliation Claim Not Barred by Heck
- Informant/Hit Man In 20 Murders Released After 12 Years; Paid $20,000, by John Dannenberg
- “Defense of Another” Not Applicable to Prison Disciplinary Defense
- News in Brief:
- Prisoners on Prison Education: Your Knowledge, Experience and Views Are Sought by the Special Rapporteur on Education
- Spokane Jail Prisoner Murdered in Cell, County Settles Lawsuit for $180,000
More from John Dannenberg:
- Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual, 2d Ed., by Dan Manville, March 5, 2015
- Systemic Changes Follow Murder of Colorado Prison Director, July 10, 2014
- The Redbook – A Manual on Legal Style, April 15, 2014
- Arrest-Proof Yourself, by Dale Carson and Wes Denham, March 15, 2014
- Arrested: What to do When Your Loved One’s in Jail, by Wes Denham, Feb. 15, 2014
- California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings, Jan. 15, 2014
- FCC Order Heralds Hope for Reform of Prison Phone Industry, Dec. 15, 2013
- Federal Court Orders California to Release 9,600 More Prisoners, Aug. 15, 2013
- Valley Fever Declared a Public Health Emergency at Two California Prisons; Court Orders Prisoner Transfers, July 15, 2013
- Plata and Coleman Showdown in California, June 15, 2013
More from these topics:
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- FCC Releases Final Version of Order Gutting 2024 Phone Cap Regulations, Feb. 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates.
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.
- DOJ Settles With Orange County Over Use of “Jailhouse Snitches”, Dec. 1, 2025. Informants, Sixth Amendment, Confessions - Admissibility, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, Pleas Linked to Cooperation.
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $45 Million Verdict for Wrongfully Convicted Former Ohio Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Two Exonerated Illinois Prisoners Win Settlements Totaling $14.5 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Sixth Circuit Order Sealing Records in Private Prison Shareholder Suit Vacated, Remanded, Aug. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Misconduct/Corruption, Public Records.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Wrongful Conviction Claim of Exonerated Maryland Prisoner, State Pays Him $3.1 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.

