Bernard "Bernie" McLaughlin

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Bernard "Bernie" McLaughlin was an Irish-American gangster from Charlestown, Massachusetts and leader of "The McLaughlin Brothers" gang.

Before Bernie formed his own gang he was a loan shark and enforcer for the Angiulo Brothers of Boston's North End. After the Irish gangs decided to break away from the Italians and Whitey Bulger became an informant for the FBI, giving information that would ruin his Italian mob enemies, Bernie and his brothers (Edward "Punchy" McLaughlin and George McLaughlin) started the McLaughlin Brothers. Soon after, while drunk at a Labor Day party on Salisbury Beach, Georgie was badly beaten by two members of The Winter Hill Gang for groping the girlfriend of mobster Alex Rocco (then known as Alex 'Bobo' Petricone).

When Bernie found out about this he demanded that his then friend Winter Hill leader James "Buddy" McLean turn over his two men (Bernie and his brothers had been known to perform hits for gangs all over New England, including The Winter Hill Gang). McLean said Georgie had it coming and refused to turn them over, so the next night Bernie wired a bomb under Buddy's family car. When Buddy found out about this he immediately went looking for Bernie. Buddy, Alex Rocco, and driver Russell Nicholson found Bernie in Charlestown's town square and shot him dead. Despite the large crowd, not one witness agreed to testify and the three went free. Soon after, Russ Nicholson was taken from the street and murdered by Bernie's brothers Punchy and Georgie.