Ex-Teamster Convicted of Extorting Boston Businesses

A former member of the Charlestown-based Teamsters local was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury in connection with extorting businesses in Boston.

James E. Deamicis, also known as “Jimmy the Bull,” 52, of Quincy, was convicted following a one-week trial of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion. Among the extortion victims were Pt. Lighting Systems, the Westin Copley Hotel, and House of Blues, a division of Live Nation.

“A jury unanimously found that Deamicis’s tactics were not legitimate union organizing, but orchestrated extortion,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “A union card is not a license to commit a crime; the strong-arm tactics belong in the history books, not on the streets of Boston.”

“Today’s conviction represents the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to protect employers and businesses from those who would instill fear and intimidation. James Deamicis and his co-conspirators lied to hotels, non-profits, and other businesses in Boston regarding their obligation to use union labor from the Teamsters in an effort to obtain cash in exchange for labor peace. This office stands committed to working with our law enforcement partners to combat this type of criminal activity,” stated Cheryl Garcia, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General.

Deamicis, a former member of Teamsters Local 82 (merged with Local 25 in 2012), worked in the trade show and moving industries loading and unloading trucks. Since 2007, Deamicis, and others, extorted various entities in Boston including hotels, event planners, catering companies, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, music entertainment companies, and non-profit organizations, none of which had collective bargaining agreements with Local 82.

Deamicis threatened to picket and disrupt business, sometimes just hours before an event, if the entity did not accede to his demand for unwanted, unnecessary and superfluous jobs. He also demanded payment for these unnecessary jobs, according to investigators.

The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 on each count. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In November 2014, two Teamster co-defendants, John Perry and Joseph Burhoe, were convicted by a federal jury of RICO and extortion charges. A fourth defendant, Thomas Flaherty, was previously acquitted.