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Howard Thomas Winter (March 17, 1929 – November 12, 2020) was an American mobster who was a boss of the Winter Hill Gang in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Howie Winter | |
|---|---|
 Winter's September 3, 1957 mugshot | |
| Born | Howard Thomas Winter March 17, 1929 |
| Died | November 12, 2020 (aged 91) Millbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Mobster, trucker |
| Years active | 1965–1979 |
| Known for | Boss of the Winter Hill Gang |
| Predecessor | James McLean |
| Successor | Whitey Bulger |
| Spouse | Ellen Brogna |
| Allegiance | Winter Hill Gang |
| Criminal charge | Extortion |
Early life
editWinter was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 17, 1929. He was of German and Irish descent.
Irish Mob
editWinter was the right-hand man to the originator of the gang, James "Buddy" McLean and took over the rackets, along with Joe McDonald, when McLean was killed during the Irish Mob Wars in 1965. In 1979 Winter, McDonald and other members of the Winter Hill Gang were arrested and indicted on federal "horse race fixing" charges. James "Whitey" Bulger then replaced Winter as boss of the gang.
Winter was released from prison in 1987 and relocated to St. Louis, where he was in contact with gang associate James "Gentleman Jim" Mulvey, who was a close friend of Raymond L. S. Patriarca. In 1993, he was caught dealing cocaine. When the FBI informed him that Bulger had been an informant all those years and offered Winter a deal if he would inform on Bulger, Winter refused the deal telling the FBI that Mulvey has already informed him of that and he was no "rat", despite facing another decade behind bars, which he would serve, being released from prison in July 2002.[1]
Later life and death
editFollowing his release from prison, Winter worked out of his home in Millbury as a property manager. In 2012, Winter was arrested on charges of extorting money from two people. He pled guilty and was placed on probation.[2]
Winter died in 2020, aged 91.[3]
Further reading
edit- Bloom, Robert M. Ratting: The Use and Abuse of Informants in the American Justice System. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. ISBN 0-275-96818-9
- Martini, Bobby and Keratsis, Elayne. Citizen Somerville: Growing Up With The Winter Hill Gang Boston, Massachusetts: Powderhouse Press, 2010. ISBN 9780982991503
- Matera, Dary. FBI's Ten Most Wanted. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. ISBN 0-06-052435-9
- Willis, Clint (ed.) Wise Guys: Stories of Mobsters from Jersey to Vegas. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003. ISBN 1-56025-498-X
References
edit- English, T. J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059002-5
- Notes
- ^ "Locate a Federal Inmate: Howard Winter". Federal Bureau of Prisons. 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
- ^ "Former Winter Hill Gang leader Howie Winter has died". Boston.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Winter Hill mob boss dies; helped in Gardner art heist probe". Boston Herald. November 13, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
External links
edit- "Profile: Howie Winter" Archived June 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, in Howie Carr's Encyclopedia of Boston Mobsters
- "A Round Up of the Usual Suspects" by John William Tuohy at www.americanmafia.com
- Interview with Howie Winter on YouTube