James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger (born on September 3, 1929) is a wanted fugitive and alleged leader, along with fellow mobster Stephen Flemmi, of the Winter Hill Gang, an Irish American organized crime group operating in the area of Boston, Massachusetts. He is the brother of William Michael "Billy" Bulger who rose to become President of the Massachusetts State Senate and president of the University of Massachusetts while "Whitey" was rising in the ranks of his mob.
| James J.Bulger | |
|---|---|
| File:Bulger-fbi.jpg | |
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Description | |
| Born | September 3, 1929 |
| Status | |
| Added | August 19, 1999 |
| Number | 458 |
| Currently a Top Ten Fugitive | |
On August 19, 1999 Bulger became the 458th Ten Most Wanted fugitive listed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and as such he currently remains wanted for racketeering (under the "RICO" act), murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit extortion, narcotics distribution, conspiracy to commit money laundering, extortion, and money laundering.
Life
Bulger was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents. When he was a small child, his parents moved to South Boston, Massachusetts, a neighborhood he would later own. As a juvenile he was a member of the Shamrocks street gang and alledgedly worked as a male prostitute. He was later convicted for bank robbery and spent time in Alcatraz before being released in 1965. He became an enforcer for the Killeen brothers and serving them in their war against the Mullin gang. After Howie Winter of the Winter Hill Gang mediated their dispute, the two gangs joined forces with Whitey as overall boss. Shortly thereafter, Whitey and his longtime associate Stephen Flemmi became FBI informants in the Top Echelon Criminal Informant Program under agent H. Paul Rico and then John Connolly. Bulger and Flemmi used their position to eliminate competition and consolidate his own control of organized crime in and around Boston.
After being warned by now-imprisoned FBI agent, John Connolly, that he was about to be indicted, Bulger, along with his girlfriend Catherine Greig, fled prosecution. He is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list and a reward for US $1 million is being offered for information leading to his capture.
The last confirmed sighting of Bulger was in London in 2002, though in late July 2005, FBI agents were sent to Uruguay to investigate a lead.
Bulger is the older brother of John "Jackie" Bulger, a retired Massachusetts court clerk magistrate who was convicted in April 2003 of perjury to two grand juries regarding testimony he gave about contact with Whitey. Another brother is William "Billy" Bulger, former president of both the Massachusetts State Senate and, after that, the University of Massachusetts. In testimony before Congress, Billy Bulger admitted to speaking to his brother after he fled [2]. As fall out from those remarks, Billy was forced to resign, by Governor Mitt Romney, as president of the University of Massachusetts in 2003.
Bulger is also a 1991 lottery winner. His share of the winnings amounted to $1.6 million - $80,000 a year for 20 years.[1]
Murders
Bulger is wanted on 18 counts of murder, including those of the following victims:
- Debra Davis
- Debra Hussey
- Buckey Barrett
- John McIntyre
John McIntyre was an associate of Charlestown, Massachusetts drug smuggler Joe Murray, who relied on Whitey for his muscle. After the failure of an attempt to smuggle seven tons of guns to the IRA, McIntyre was arrested by U. S. Customs agents and revealed what he knew. Prior to being released, Customs agents gave him $20,000 with orders to wear a wire on his bosses. On November 30, 1984, Joe Murray handed McIntyre over to Whitey at the South Boston house at 779 East Third Street. McIntyre was mentally terrorized for several hours before being taken to the basement. After failing to strangle him, Whitey asked McIntyre if he wanted "one in the head." When McIntyre said yes, Whitey shot him in the back of the head with a .22 caliber rifle before turning him over and pumped 5-6 more bullets into his face. His teeth were pulled out with a pliers by Steven Flemmi, who was barely prevented from cutting open the body to have a look inside. "See," cracked Whitey, "I told you Doctor Mengele was crazy." The body was then buried in the basement. Prior to the cooperation of Kevin Weeks, John McIntyre's family believed that British Intelligence was responsible for his disappearance.
- Brian Halloran
- Michael Donahue
- Paulie McGonigle
- Donald McGonigle
According to Whitey's former protege Kevin Weeks, Donald McGonigle, the honest, law abiding brother of a notorious gangster, was shot between the eyes by Whitey during the Killeen-Mullin gang war. Whitey had allegedly mistaken Donald for his brother Paul. When Whitey informed one of his superiors that he had whacked the wrong McGonigle, he was told, "Don't worry about it. He wasn't healthy anyway. He smoked. He would've gotten lung cancer. How do you want your pork chops?"
- Richie Castucci
- Eddie Conners
Three of these murders are believed by the FBI to have occurred in the same house between 1983 and 1985.
Press relations
Author Howie Carr provides an explanation in his book The Brothers Bulger on why the press failed to more vigorously pursue Whitey. When Boston Herald reporter Paul Corsetti began looking into Whitey's possible involvement in a gangland murder, he ran into a stranger in a bar. The stranger told Corsetti, "I'm Jimmy Bulger and I kill people," and pulled out a piece of paper from which he recited Corsetti's address in Medford; the make, model, and license number of his family's cars; and information about Corsetti's preschool daughter's day care. This incident caused Corsetti to wear a .38-caliber revolver to work, and discouraged the Boston media from investigating Bulger again for a number of years.[1]
Description
- Hair: White/Silver
- Eyes: Blue
- Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
- Complexion: Light
- Weight: 150 to 160 lb (68 to 73 kg)
- Sex: Male
- Build: Medium
Known Medications
Bulger was last known to be using atenolol, a heart medication in 50 milligram doses.
Weapons
Bulger is said to carry a knife on him at all times.
Aliases
- Thomas F. Baxter - a name Bulger created in 1971.
- Mark Shapeton
- Tom Harris
- Tom Marshall
- Jimmy Bulger,
- "Whitey"
Notable Possessions
Crimes
The FBI wants to apprehend Bulger on the following charges:
- Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ("RICO")
- Murder (18 Counts)
- Conspiracy to Commit Murder
- Extortion
- Conspiracy to Commit Extortion
- Money laundering
- Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
- Distribution of Narcotics
- Conspiracy to Commit Distribution of Narcotics
FBI rebuked
A US District Court judge found on September 5 2006 that the mishandling of Whitey and his associate, Stephen Flemmi caused the murder in 1984 of John McIntyre in a lawsuit brought by the victim's family who will receive more than $3 million from the US government. The judge stated that the FBI failed to properly supervise their own agent John Connolly (convicted and jailed in 2002) and also failed to investigate numerous allegations that Bulger and Flemmi were involved in drug trafficking, murder, and other crimes over decades.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ [1] Edward Achorn, "The Anti-Brahmins: Not every Massachusetts dynasty is great," a review of The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston For a Quarter Century by Howie Carr in The Weekly Standard magazine, issue of July 24, 2006
- ^ "FBI found liable for Bulger, Flemmi". The Boston Globe. 2006-09-06.
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References
- The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston For a Quarter Century, by Howie Carr, Warner, 352 pp., ISBN 0-446-57651-4
- Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, Harper, 424 pp., ISBN 0-06-095925-8
- Street Soldier; My Life as an Enforcer for "Whitey" Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob by Edward MacKenzie and Phyllis Karas, Steerforth, 256 pp., ISBN 1-58642-076-3
- Brutal; My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob by Kevin Weeks and Phyllis Karas, Regan Books, 304 pp., ISBN 0-06-112269-6
External links
- Bulger on FBI's Ten Most Wanted list
- Boston Globe articles and current news
- Info on FBI connections to mob
- Whitey Watch, audio, video, etc.
- Whitey World
- Whitey Bulger on crimelibrary.com
- Law Firm who brought first successful suit, on behalf of John McIntyre, finding the Boston FBI liable for the actions of Bulger and Flemmi
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