Anthony attorney denies interview negotiations (AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. – The lead defense attorney in the murder trial of Casey Anthony denies reports that he is negotiating deals for a paid interview with his client.

A one-sentence statement attributed to Jose Baez and released through New York-based RMT PR Management on Friday says: "Contrary to recent published reports, I am not negotiating any paid interviews with anyone."

Reports of interview negotiations have been rampant since Anthony's release from jail on July 13. She was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, on July 5, but convicted of four counts of lying to police.

Anthony left the Orange County Jail with Baez and has not been seen in public since.

At least one television producer claims to have met with Baez about a paid interview.

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"Whitey" Bulger heads back to court on attorney issue (Reuters)

BOSTON (Reuters) – James "Whitey" Bulger is expected to learn the fate of his request for a public defender on Thursday, when the former mob boss returns to federal court in Boston for two separate hearings.

Back-to-back court appearances, the first scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, should resolve the lingering issue of who will represent the aging gangster against charges that include racketeering and murder.

Bulger, 81, who had been on the FBI's Most Wanted List, and his longtime companion Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested in Santa Monica, California, on June 22 after being on the run together since 1995.

The arrests came after a tip from a member of the public, days after the FBI launched a new media campaign.

Bulger is the former leader of the notorious Winter Hill Gang, a mostly Irish-American organized crime operation based in Boston.

He had been sought by the authorities for 19 counts of murder committed in the 1970s and 1980s, many of them brutal slayings, and charges of drug dealing, extortion, money laundering and conspiracy.

Bulger and Greig had some $820,000 stashed in a wall in their California hide-out and according to prosecutors were able to finance a comfortable lifestyle replete with Las Vegas gambling trips and jaunts to Mexico to buy medications.

Bulger requested a court-appointed attorney on June 24 during his initial appearance in federal court in Boston, but prosecutors have been adamant his defense should not be at public expense.

Bulger's provisional attorney and prosecutors have also wrangled this week over the government's dismissal of a 1994 racketeering-focused indictment to concentrate resources on the stronger 1999 case that includes the multiple murder charges.

The defense moved instead to consolidate the two indictments, saying they are related and in some cases identical.

Both sides lobbed accusations of forum shopping -- an attempt to manipulate the random assignment of judges to the Bulger case or cases. A judge is expected to rule on this matter in a separate hearing.

(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; editing by Ros Krasny)

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Attorney, prosecutors wrangle in Bulger case (Reuters)

BOSTON (Reuters) – Former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's provisional attorney asked the court on Wednesday to consolidate charges against his client, which include 19 murder accusations, from two indictments into one.

But the government, which wants to drop racketeering charges to focus on the murder case, said the bid lacked merit, and both sides accused each other of trying to manipulate how the charges will be tried and by whom.

"These two cases are simply not subject to consolidation," government attorneys said in a late-day filing in response to Bulger's request.

A conviction on just one count of murder in Massachusetts could send Bulger to prison for life, and authorities have said that focusing on the murder cases could bring quicker justice to the families of Bulger's alleged victims.

Bulger, who had been on the FBI's Most Wanted List, and his longtime companion Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested at their rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, California, on June 22 after being on the run together since 1995.

Bulger and Greig had some $820,000 stashed in a wall in their hideout, mostly in bundles of $100 bills.

Defense attorney Peter Krupp said allegations from the two indictments against Bulger were related, overlapping and in some cases identical. He described the move to dismiss a 1994 racketeering-focused indictment as "forum shopping" and a manipulation of the random case assignment process for judges.

The government said it planned to focus on the 19 murder charges contained in a separate indictment. The indictments were to be heard before different judges.

Prosecutors denied they were forum shopping and turned the same accusation back onto Bulger.

The "counter-intuitive strategy" of requesting that he be prosecuted for even more crimes suggests that Bulger, not the government, is forum shopping, they said.

Bulger, transported in a cordon of black SUVs, made a surprise four-hour trip to the courthouse on Wednesday from his cell at the Plymouth County jail south of Boston. The visit was reportedly for a meeting with his lawyer.

The aging gangster is expected back in court for two separate hearings on Thursday. In one, a judge could assign two prominent lawyers to take on what is expected to be a highly complex case.

Bulger, 81, requested a public defender at his initial Boston court appearance on Friday, saying he could not afford an attorney. Published reports suggest Howard Cooper and Max Stern could be named to the Bulger case if a judge allows court-appointed counsel over prosecutors' objections.

The pair were in court for another Bulger hearing on Tuesday. Neither returned calls seeking comment.

Stern was named one of Boston's best criminal defense lawyers in 2010 by "Law and Politics" magazine, while "Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly" named Cooper to its list of the state's most influential attorneys in 2009.

(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Ros Krasny, Jerry Norton and Cynthia Johnston)

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New hearing set on Whitey Bulger attorney request (Reuters)

BOSTON (Reuters) – Former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger is expected back in court in Boston on Thursday, where a judge could assign two prominent lawyers to take on the case of the aging gangster, the Justice Department said.

Bulger, 81, requested a public defender at his initial Boston court appearance on Friday, saying he could not afford an attorney. He has been provisionally represented by attorney Peter Krupp.

Published reports suggest Howard Cooper and Max Stern could be named to the Bulger case if a judge allows court-appointed counsel over prosecutors' objections.

The pair were in court for a another Bulger hearing on Tuesday. Neither returned calls seeking comment.

Stern was named one of Boston's best criminal defense lawyers in 2010 by "Law and Politics" magazine, while "Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly" named Cooper to its list of the state's most influential attorneys in 2009.

Bulger, who had been on the FBI's Most Wanted List, and his longtime companion Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested at their rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, California, on June 22 after being on the run together since 1995. The pair had some $820,000 on hand, mostly in bundles of $100 bills.

On Tuesday, prosecutors moved to drop a 1994 indictment against Bulger and focus on the 19 murder charges in a later case. A conviction on just one count could send Bulger to prison for life.

(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Ros Krasny and Jerry Norton)

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