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The Role of the Informant

The capture of Boston Gangster Whitey Bulger puts an end to a long manhunt - but it brings up questions about his dealings with the FBI.

Despite his disdain for “rats” - Bulger, now charged with 19 murders and implicated in countless other crimes, was an informant with the FBI for years.  He developed a special relationship with agent John Connolly that allowed him to keep committing crime - and gave him a chance to flee in 1995.  

Today, where we live, a look at the world of “informants” - some fifteen thousand used by the FBI alone to tip them off to crime, to assist in sting operations, and to sometimes be very well paid for their work.

WNPR’s Jeff Cohen has been following the story of one such informant - William Myles, who turned from a businessman working on a schools project in Hartford, into an FBI operative working on multiple cases in many states.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.