James “Whitey” Bulger after an arrest in the 1950s, and this week.
Notorious Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, ending a 16-year-long manhunt. He was wanted in connection with 19 murders, as well as drug dealing, extortion, money laundering and conspiracy, according to Reuters.
Bulger was arrested along with his girlfriend, Catherine Grieg, who is charged with harboring a fugitive. Both had been living under the aliases of Charles and Carol Glasko for more than 15 years, the LA Times reported. They were due in US District Court in Boston at 4 p.m. today.
A gangster from South Boston, Bulger escaped persecution by becoming an informant for the FBI, according to the Boston Globe’s profile. When his relationship with the organization ended in the 1990s, Bulger became their target. He fled Boston and remained on the run for 16 years as one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted.
Neither Bulger nor Grieg resisted arrest. Cash and guns were found in the apartment and seized, authorities confirmed to the Boston Globe.
According to Reuters, Bulger appeared calm during his court appearance in Los Angeles. When the judge asked Bulger if he had read the indictment against him, he replied, “I got ‘em all right here. It will take me quite a while to finish these.”
Bulger and Grieg were caught using a series of public service announcements by the FBI, which focused on middle-aged women who might have seen Grieg. The announcements ran in 30-second spots during daytime television shows such as “Ellen” and “The View.” Bulger’s girlfriend was known for her frequent trips to beauty salons and dental care facilities, as well as for her love of animals.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers said that the campaign’s payoff proves that the FBI never stopped working to find Bulger, though years went by without sightings.
“Although there are those who have doubted our resolve over time, it has never wavered,” he said.
The Boston Globe found a wide range of reactions to the arrest in Bulger’s former home of South Boston. One woman said, “Why wouldn’t you want a murderer caught?”
“He was a mobster, but so what?” another woman said. “Everybody’s got an occupation.”