Bulger headed back to Boston to face charges
Alleged mob boss apparently lived at same Santa Monica apartment for years
LOS ANGELES — As the FBI chased leads on two continents, Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger spent nearly all of his 16 years on the lam in this seaside city, passing himself off as just another elderly retiree, albeit one who kept a .357 Magnum and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in his modest apartment.
Bulger — the FBI's most-wanted man and a feared underworld figure linked to 19 murders — was captured Wednesday after one of the biggest manhunts in U.S. history. His undoing may have been his impeccably groomed girlfriend.
Earlier this week, after years of frustration, the FBI put out a series of daytime TV announcements with photos of Bulger's blond live-in companion, Catherine Greig. The announcements pointed out that Greig was known to frequent beauty salons and have her teeth cleaned once a month.
Two days later, the campaign produced a tip that led agents to the two-bedroom apartment three blocks from the Pacific Ocean where Bulger and Greig lived, authorities said. The FBI would not give any details about the tip.
The 81-year-old boss of South Boston's vicious Winter Hill Gang — a man who authorities say would not hesitate to shoot someone between the eyes — was lured outside the building and captured without resistance. Greig, 60, was also arrested.
Hint of defiance
On Thursday afternoon, Bulger appeared with his girlfriend in federal court in Los Angeles and was ordered returned to Massachusetts to face charges after he waived his right to a hearing.
Bulger was bald with a snow-white beard, and was wearing glasses and a white, hoodie-style sweatshirt. Bulger and Greig looked concerned, but chatted with each other and smiled, an NBC News producer in the courtroom reported.
The judge asked Bulger if he had read the charges against him. Clutching court documents to his chest, Bulger replied, with a hint of defiance and sarcasm in his Boston accent: "I got them all here. It will take me quite a while to finish these. I know them all pretty well."
Bulger shuffled out of the courtroom and cracked a smile after a law enforcement officer patted him on the back and led him away.
He faces federal charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. Greig was charged with harboring a fugitive.
The Boston Globe quoted one official as saying, "They got a confession from him."
read the rest here... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43504992...me_and_courts/
Alleged mob boss apparently lived at same Santa Monica apartment for years
LOS ANGELES — As the FBI chased leads on two continents, Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger spent nearly all of his 16 years on the lam in this seaside city, passing himself off as just another elderly retiree, albeit one who kept a .357 Magnum and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in his modest apartment.
Bulger — the FBI's most-wanted man and a feared underworld figure linked to 19 murders — was captured Wednesday after one of the biggest manhunts in U.S. history. His undoing may have been his impeccably groomed girlfriend.
Earlier this week, after years of frustration, the FBI put out a series of daytime TV announcements with photos of Bulger's blond live-in companion, Catherine Greig. The announcements pointed out that Greig was known to frequent beauty salons and have her teeth cleaned once a month.
Two days later, the campaign produced a tip that led agents to the two-bedroom apartment three blocks from the Pacific Ocean where Bulger and Greig lived, authorities said. The FBI would not give any details about the tip.
The 81-year-old boss of South Boston's vicious Winter Hill Gang — a man who authorities say would not hesitate to shoot someone between the eyes — was lured outside the building and captured without resistance. Greig, 60, was also arrested.
Hint of defiance
On Thursday afternoon, Bulger appeared with his girlfriend in federal court in Los Angeles and was ordered returned to Massachusetts to face charges after he waived his right to a hearing.
Bulger was bald with a snow-white beard, and was wearing glasses and a white, hoodie-style sweatshirt. Bulger and Greig looked concerned, but chatted with each other and smiled, an NBC News producer in the courtroom reported.
The judge asked Bulger if he had read the charges against him. Clutching court documents to his chest, Bulger replied, with a hint of defiance and sarcasm in his Boston accent: "I got them all here. It will take me quite a while to finish these. I know them all pretty well."
Bulger shuffled out of the courtroom and cracked a smile after a law enforcement officer patted him on the back and led him away.
He faces federal charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. Greig was charged with harboring a fugitive.
The Boston Globe quoted one official as saying, "They got a confession from him."
read the rest here... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43504992...me_and_courts/
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