Whitey Bulger Arrested: Infamous Mob Fugitive Caught In Santa Monica

Fugitive Massachusetts mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger has been arrested after years on the run, US authorities say.

Bulger, a Top 10 Fugitive, was apprehended by the FBI in California late last night. Authorities had been hunting the 81-year-old for more than 15 years. Bulger was the alleged leader of the Winter Hill Gang, a league of organized crime figures in Boston, whose members have included notorious Boston gangsters Howie Winter, James McLean and Stephen Flemmi.

According to Special Agent Greg Comcowich, a spokesman at the FBI Boston office, Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, 60-year-old Catherine Elizabeth Greig, were taken into custody without incident.

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• James "Whitey" Bulger

  FILE - This June 23, 2011 file booking photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows James "Whitey" Bulger. A new judge has been named to preside over the trial of reputed Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger a day after the previous judge was removed to eliminate any appearance of bias. The clerk of the federal court Friday, March 15, 2013 announced the appointment of U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

• FILE - This is a 1986 FBI handout file photo of New England organized crime figure James J. "Whitey" Bulger. Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday, June 22, 2011. (AP Photo/FBI, File)

• FILE - In these 1984 file photos originally released by the FBI, New England organized crime figure James "Whitey" Bulger is shown. Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday June 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Federal Bureau of Investigation, File)

• FILE - The photos left and center are FBI handout photos of fugitive Massachusetts mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, taken in the 1980s. At right is an FBI photo of Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig, who travels with the former gangster. Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday June 22, 2011. (AP Photo/FBI Handouts, File)

• FILE - In this 1995 file photo provided by the FBI, fugitive mobster James "Whitey" Bulger is shown in a photo released Saturday, April 17, 2004, and taken shortly before he disappeared in 1995. Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday June 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Federal Bureau of Investigation, File)

• FILE - This is an undated handout file photo the FBI released in this Dec. 30, 1998 showing reputed Boston mobster and fugitive James J. "Whitey" Bulger. Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday June 22, 2011. (AP Photo/FBI Handout, File)

• Catherine Greig

  FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Catherine Greig, the longtime girlfriend of Whitey Bulger, who was captured with Bulger June 22, 2011, in Santa Monica, Calif. Greig faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when she is sentenced Tuesday, June 12, 2012 for helping to hide Bulger for 16 years. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

• Anna Bjornsdottir

  Bjornsdottir, a former Miss Iceland, was 57 when she collected a $2 million reward for giving the FBI a tip that led to the arrest of Bulger and Greig in 2011. Bjornsdottir recognized the fugitive couple as neighborhood residents she knew in Santa Monica.

• BULGER

  FILE - In this March 10, 2003 file photo, University of Massachusetts President William Bulger speaks before a joint legislative Ways and Means Committee hearing at Bridgewater State College, Monday, March 10, 2003 in Bridgewater, Mass. Bulger called the governor's proposal to reorganize the state's public college and university system an "attack on public higher education." (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, file)

• This 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's office shows identification cards found in the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment where Whitey Bulger and Catherine Greig hid before their arrest in June 2011. The photo was among hundreds of documents unsealed by prosecutors Friday, June 15, 2012, three days after Greig was sentenced in Boston to eight years in prison for helping Bulger during his years as a fugitive. (AP Photo/U.S. Attorney's Office)

• This 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's office shows a shelf containing books about gangsters and crime in the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment where Whitey Bulger and Catherine Greig hid before their arrest in June 2011. The photo was among hundreds of documents unsealed by prosecutors Friday, June 15, 2012, three days after Greig was sentenced in Boston to eight years in prison for helping Bulger during his years as a fugitive. (AP Photo/U.S. Attorney's Office)

• This 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's office shows guns displayed in the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment where Whitey Bulger and Catherine Greig hid before their arrest in June 2011. The photo was among hundreds of documents unsealed by prosecutors Friday, June 15, 2012, three days after Greig was sentenced in Boston to eight years in prison for helping Bulger during his years as a fugitive. (AP Photo/U.S. Attorney's Office)

• This 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's office shows a 1999-2001 New York driver's license with a photo of Catherine Greig, found in the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment where Greig and Whitey Bulger hid before their arrest in June 2011. The photo was among hundreds of documents unsealed by prosecutors Friday, June 15, 2012, three days after Greig was sentenced in Boston to eight years in prison for helping Bulger during his years as a fugitive. (AP Photo/U.S. Attorney's Office)

• J.W. Carney Jr

  FILE - In this July 6, 2011 file photo, defense attorney J.W. Carney Jr., appointed to represent James "Whitey" Bulger, speaks to the media as he leaves federal court after Bulger's arraignment on 19 counts of murder in Boston. Carney on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 framed an attempt to get the presiding judge kicked off his client's murder case as an effort to protect the court's integrity. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

• Steven Davis, the brother of Debra Davis, a woman allegedly killed by James "Whitey" Bulger, stands near the Neponset River where his sister's body was found in Quincy,Mass., Thursday, June 21, 2012. Davis would like to construct a memorial for his sister and others killed by the Boston mobster adjacent to the river. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

• Carmen Ortiz, Richard DesLauriers

  U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz speaks to reporters as FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, rear left, watches outside federal court in Boston on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Catherine Greig, who spent 16 years on the run with former Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping to hide one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

• Three sisters of Paul McGonagle leave a plea hearing for Catherine Greig, the longtime girlfriend of reputed Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, outside the Federal Courthouse in Boston, Wednesday afternoon, March 14, 2012. Paul McGonagle is alleged to have been one of the 19 murders Bulger is accused of committing. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

• Steve Davis, Tommy Donahue

  Victims' family members, Steve Davis, left, and Tommy Donahue react outside federal court in Boston Tuesday, June 12, 2012, after Catherine Greig, who spent 16 years on the run with former Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, was sentenced to eight years in prison for helping to hide one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

• Howard "Howie" Winter, left and James Melvin talk after their arraignment at Somerville District Court on Friday, June 8, 2012 in Somerville, Mass. Winter, 83, and Melvin, 70, were arrested Thursday after authorities said they tried over several months to extort $35,000 from each of two men who had arranged a $100,000 loan for a third man. Both men pleaded not guilty to attempted extortion and conspiracy charges. Winter is the former head of the Winter Hill Gang, that was later run by James "Whitey" Bulger. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, Jonathan Wiggs, Pool)

• In this book cover image released by Forge Books, "Betrayal: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent who Fought to Bring him Down," by Robert Fitzpatrick with Jon Land, is shown. (AP Photo/Forge Books)

"Recent publicity produced a tip which led agents to Santa Monica, where they spotted both Bulger and Greig at a residence. ... Initial appearances will be scheduled in the Southern District of California," Comcowich said.

In 1995, Bulger was indicted for federal racketeering and for 19 murders. Bulger and Greig, a one-time dental hygienist, fled before authorities could take him into custody. The couple is believed to have gone to Louisiana and then Chicago. The last credible sighting of them had been nearly 10 years ago, in London.

The arrest of Bulger and Greig came just one day after the FBI launched a publicity campaign to flush out the fugitive mob boss. The campaign consisted of a 30-second public service announcement that began airing Tuesday on TV stations around the country. The PSA was designed to make the public aware of Greig's relationship with Bulger and her physical characteristics.

"The FBI believes that publicizing Catherine Grieg's photo and characteristics among her contemporaries will lead to a tip about her whereabouts and, ultimately, to the arrest of Bulger," Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of the Boston division, said Monday.

The FBI tweeted news of the fugitives capture early Thursday morning. According to California media outlets, the couple has been living on the third floor of The Princess Eugenia, a three-story building in the 1000 block of Third Street in Santa Monica.

Bulger and Greig are scheduled to make an appearance at federal court in Los Angeles later today.

Comments

[Philip Schneider]

08:54 PM on 06/27/2011

"When I was your age they said you can become cops or criminals. Today what I'm saying to you is this, when your facing a loaded gun...Whats the difference?"

[Tina Iyer]

07:37 AM on 06/27/2011

It took more time to arrest him than it took the US army to get to Osama! For 15 years this guy was living in luxury right under the nose of FBI and making merry. Way to go FBI.
http://ekhichdi.com/news.html

[Philip Schneider]

08:56 PM on 06/27/2011

CIA and JSOC got Osama not the U.S Army. And yeah its amazing this guy was able to live like he did, going in and out of the US/Mexican border just adds insult.

[Dorian Mode]

07:43 PM on 06/26/2011

Could we just let him go, he's gonna cost the federal government a bundle in depends alone.

[tksensei]

12:24 PM on 06/27/2011

Do you have any idea what this animal did? He was not wanted for shoplifting.

[whcole66]

12:21 AM on 06/26/2011

How many years did he work for the FBI.

[dandmb50]

03:47 PM on 06/25/2011

@dandmb50 - It all sounds a little suspicious to me, they layout the commercials that he is wanted and two days later he is arrested?? There is something here we are missing? Was this a set-up to make the Govt look good?

Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA
http://bit.ly/DMBwp

[elwayisagooddog]

03:39 PM on 06/25/2011

Must have made a mistake somewhere.

[veracruise]

02:51 PM on 06/25/2011

He was right under our nose just like Osama. How smart are we?

[dburkwald]

10:18 AM on 06/25/2011

Super Senior Citizen Sting !
IM Surprised that they didn't take em at the Bingo Hall or the Scooter Store.
And you wonder why it takes those FBI Agents an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes.

[tksensei]

03:58 PM on 06/25/2011

Make no mistake, this is not just some little old man. He is a stone-cold, scvmbag killer.

[sfizi]

09:59 AM on 06/25/2011

Great ! now shoot him and get rid of him just like osama ..

[MAngeline]

06:21 AM on 06/25/2011

Whitey was almost a folk hero to some in South Boston. His brother, Billy (former Speaker of MA House) is a triple E (Boston College Eagle), grad of BC High, BC undergrad and BC law school. Interesting how one brother went the opposite direction of the other. Of course, Billy was no saint. He just learned how to get what he wanted from the political system and ruled with an iron fist. He was hated and feared just like Whitey.

Interesting how he and Catherine were living in a rent controlled apartment yet had about $800,000 in cash when captured...only in America!! Sure hope us citizens of MA don't have to pay for his trial.

[focher]

11:28 PM on 06/27/2011

Just a clarification, pretty much all of Santa Monica is rent controlled.

[RationalCaliGirl]

03:54 AM on 06/25/2011

I see it's true what people say; Americans love the Mafia. This thread is proof of that. lol

[leonethderosia]

03:21 AM on 06/25/2011

his brother billy was a shady mass speaker of house too (democrat of course) a state cop said "billy would hold you up with a pen, whitey w/ a gun"....whitey was a real animal, someone with truly no conscience

[Shamrock Bail Bonds]

02:17 AM on 06/25/2011

Considering he was on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list snce 1995, id say the mafia shades worked better then the Jay Lo's metrosexual shades you wear, you know the ones thatwould have you picked up in minutes.....That said, you gotta give credit where its due, being on top 10 list for 15 years (started the Jig) when he was 66 years old and living in the USA all the while interpol and FBI focused mainly in Europe until recently is impressive. Especially because he was a Middle School dropout and being on the lamb anytime is hard let alone as a very old man makes you wonder, why now ? Is it that the FBI didn't wish dirty laundry to be publisized ?

[Tykete]

03:19 PM on 06/25/2011

Absolutely, he will be the only guy in history to get a plea deal for not talking.

[hellnomo]

11:31 PM on 06/24/2011

It will be fun to learn of his union connections.

[RedWhiteandBlueState]

12:02 AM on 06/25/2011

What exactly is your problem with people getting a good wage, a healthy work environment and a pension after 25 years? Seriously? Like no politicians have ever gotten into bed with the mob. No private citizens or businesses? You sound so bitter, It's really sad. Who's stealing from you in that scenario? Oh yeah, the Librarian, the Park Ranger, the Girl in the City Planning office, right? Hard working middle class Americans. Your enemy.

[CapeJack]

01:11 AM on 06/25/2011

It would still be fun - and interesting - to learn of his union connections.

[hellnomo]

01:27 PM on 06/25/2011

So you are saying it is fine for the unions to be dirty because everyone else is too? I am a tax payer, and yes public sector unions are robbing us with their over the top pay and benefits. States are going broke paying your pensions, but "They promised them to us!"Is always the cry we hear, let's raise taxes to pay for my pension! Yes I am being robbed.

[dburkwald]

10:20 AM on 06/25/2011

and his FBI connections ...

[hellnomo]

01:30 PM on 06/25/2011

Whenever anyone found out that Mr. Bulger had union connections, they shook their head and said " have you no shame".

[Observer111]

10:12 PM on 06/24/2011

He did 19 criminals, that's good. FBI should be happy about it and in the past an FBI agent helped him to retire in peace by going underground, Now they are all over him and sure are angling for awards.

[Tykete]

03:21 PM on 06/25/2011

19 criminals? I beg to differ, he killed many innocents

[tksensei]

04:03 PM on 06/25/2011

Not only that, but he particularly enjoyed killing women in brutal fashion.