Thursday, 4:30 PM
Authorities discredit latest "sighting" of James "Whitey" Bulger
By David Abel, Globe Staff
Authorities in California have investigated and discredited the latest reported sighting of fugitive Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.
Bulger, 77, one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives, fled a month before his 1995 federal racketeering indictment and was later revealed to be a longtime FBI informant and charged with the murder of 19 people.
Since he vanished, authorities have investigated reported sightings of the fugitive throughout the world.
Monica Munoz, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Police Department, said last night that a security guard reported seeing someone in the city who looked like Bulger on Oct. 8 or 9. The guard last reported seeing the man board a trolley. But local transit officials did not find anyone matching the description, Munoz said.
"It wasn't a credible sighting. Someone called and said they saw him. San Diego trolley security did look, but they didn’t find him. That's how we know it wasn’t a legitimate sighting."
Darrell Foxworth, an FBI agent in San Diego, said he had received reports from police about the alleged sighting, but he also determined they were not legitimate. "The Police Department had responded down there, conducted a limited investigation, and after reviewing the description, they determined it wasn't credible," he said.
Authorities in Boston could not be reached last night about the latest reported sighting.
