Bulger trial witness found dead before his testimony

An alleged extortion victim of James "Whitey" Bulger who had been slated to testify against the former mob boss was found dead in a suburb near Boston, authorities said yesterday.

Stephen Rakes was found on Wednesday afternoon in Lincoln, Massachusetts, about 26km northwest of Boston, showing no obvious signs of trauma, according to the Middlesex Country District Attorney's office.

The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, the district attorney's office said.

Rakes, 59, was on the long list of victims of Bulger's feared "Winter Hill" gang who were due to take the witness stand in the mob boss's trial on charges relating to 19 murders he is accused of committing or ordering in the 1970s and 80s.

Rakes, known as "Stippo", once owned the South Boston Liquor Mart, which prosecutors charge Bulger's gang took over in a 1984 shakedown. He was on the government's list of witnesses but had not yet taken the stand.

Bulger's gang took over the liquor store to use as a money-laundering front that could conceal their illicit income, prosecutors charge.