US mobster to testify about government 'links'

US officials speak during a news conference to discuss the arrest of Boston crime boss James "Whitey'' Bulger and his companion, Catherine Greig, at the Los Angeles Federal Building in 2011. Bulger, will testify at his trial about what he claims were his

An infamous Boston mobster, James "Whitey" Bulger, will testify at his trial about what he claims were his years of crime under the protection of US law enforcement, his lawyer said Monday.

"He is going to tell the truth, if the judge permits him to," defense counsel J.W. Carney said at a news conference. "We will show that James Bulger is indeed telling the truth."

"We want the opportunity to speak the truth to everybody about why he was able to spend 30 years allegedly committing a whole host of crimes and was never indicted by the federal government until the 1990s."

Bulger is asking for a judge to dismiss his case, arguing that he had immunity from the Department of Justice during his long-running crime spree.

The 82-year-old has pleaded not guilty in a string of murders. His trial was due to start in November but has been delayed until March next year.

In addition to accusations that Bulger murdered mob rivals, potential witnesses and others who threatened him, prosecutors accuse him of extortion, money laundering and running guns to Northern Ireland's IRA militants.

Prosecutors reject the idea that he enjoyed any kind of immunity from the government. He was arrested in 2011 after 16 years in hiding.