James J. Bulger, or
Whitey Bulger, as he is more commonly known was the leader of the
infamous Winter Hill Gang, also known as the
Snow Hill Gang, in south
Boston. Bulger is the brother of
William Bulger, who was
president of the State Senate, and was the
dean of
University of Massachusetts until he resigned from that post in 2003. But while Billy Bulger took to the straight and narrow and lead a good life,
Whitey took early to a life of crime.
Whitey ended up in
Alcatraz after robbing a bank, and seemed destined for an extended stay, but got out early when he volunteered to participate in experiments with
LSD.
By 1975,
Whitey's activities as
gang leader had gotten him enough attention that the
FBI offered him a choice to either go down with his
Mafia associates or turn
State's Evidence. He turned and provided evidence against the
Boston mafia for 15 years, under the code name 'Charlie'. But just when it seemed that
Whitey had turned over a new leaf, it became clear he was more
cunning and
ruthless than anyone imagined.
Throughout the 80's and 90's it was became clear to outsiders that it was not the FBI using
Bulger but
Bulger who was using the FBI to get rid of competition, and for protection from prosecution.
Evidence came to light that
Jimmy Connolly, the
FBI agent in charge of the case had received real estate, appliances, wine, and cash as bribes from
Bulger. Connolly's boss,
Field Supervisor John Morris also received bribes from
Bulger.
Bulger, with the local
Feds in his pocket, started openly engaging in racketeering, and extortion, and murder. When the
Boston police went to the
FBI to get them to do something about
Bulger openly killing four people and threatening a fifth (a
liquor store owner named Rakes), the
Boston bureau refused to take action and
Connolly specifically refuted the
eyewitnesses placing Bulger at those murders. Not long after that
Bulger won the
Boston lotto netting $1.9 million. The police claimed the winning ticket was either forged or
extorted out of the real winner, and
forfeited the winnings.
With the increasing attention and very real threat of prosecution,
Bulger created four new identities, hid money around the country, and vanished. In 1999 the
FBI placed him on the
Ten Most Wanted list. They are offering a million dollar reward for information leading to his capture. The charges include
murder,
extortion, and
racketeering. Several of the charges stem from
RICO, which is really just a way for the
FBI to obtain easier convictions against mafia.
Since his disappearance, no one seems to know where he is, though rumors state he's living on the West Coast of
Ireland. The
FBI has been trying to squeeze
Bulger's sister, though without much luck. No one in
South Boston is talking, as many people consider him a hero, and think he's been wrongly accused.
Editor's note: James J. "Whitey" Bulger was captured by the US Marshal Service in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 2011.
Update November 14, 2013
James J. Bulger was sentenced to two life terms in prison as well as an additional five years by a federal judge. Given that he is 84 years old, chances are he will never see the light of day again.