John Durham

Who is John Durham?

John Durham is a federal prosecutor. He is probably best known for leading an inquiry into allegations that FBI agents and Boston police had ties with the mob.

Durham graduated with honors from Colgate University in 1972.

In January 2008, he was appointed to lead the U.S. Justice Department criminal investigation into the 2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction. On November 8, 2010, Durham closed the investigation without recommending any criminal charges be filed.

In December 2000, Durham revealed secret FBI documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of Enrico Tameleo, Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone and Louis Greco because they had been framed by the agency. In 2007, the documents helped Salvati, Limone, and the families of the two other men - who died in prison - win a US$101.7 million civil judgment against the government.

Amid allegations that FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had corrupted their handlers, US Attorney General Janet Reno named Durham special prosecutor in 1999. He oversaw a task force of FBI agents brought in from other offices to investigate the Boston office's handling of informants.