Whitey Bulger

Who is Whitey Bulger?

James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr. is an American convicted murderer and former organized crime figure. Based on grand jury testimony from Kevin Weeks' former associates, U.S. prosecutors indicted Bulger for 19 murders. Bulger is the brother of former President of the Massachusetts Senate Billy Bulger.

Beginning in 1975, Bulger served as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As a result, the Bureau largely ignored his organization in exchange for information about the inner workings of the Italian American Patriarca crime family. Beginning in 1997, the New England media exposed criminal actions by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials tied to Bulger. For the FBI especially, this has caused great embarrassment. On December 23, 1994, after being tipped off by his former FBI handler about a pending indictment under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Bulger fled Boston and went into hiding. For 16 years, he remained at large. For 12 of those years, Bulger was prominently listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

On June 22, 2011, Bulger was arrested outside an apartment in Santa Monica, California. Arrested with him was his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig. Bulger was 81 years old at the time of his arrest. Soon after, Bulger and Greig were extradited to Massachusetts and brought under heavy guard to the waterfront federal courthouse. This necessitated the closing of part of Boston Harbor. Greig pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harboring a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud, and was sentenced in June 2012 to eight years in prison. Bulger did not seek bail and remained in custody at the Plymouth County House of Correction in Plymouth, Massachusetts. On November 5, 2012, Bulger was taken to a hospital from his Plymouth prison cell after complaining of chest pains.