Law enforcement officials release Whitey Bulger audio

January 23, 2008 05:07 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Shelley Murphy and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

You've seen his picture many times. The man in the sunglasses wearing the baseball cap. Conferring with his "associates." Glaring from mug shots. But you've never heard the voice.

Now you can. The FBI has released audio recordings of fugitive South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, hoping that someone somewhere will recognize his voice -- and provide the clue that finally results in his capture.

The recordings were taken before Bulger fled 13 years ago, but the task force that's looking for him said in a statement that it believes the recordings "depict the unique sound of Bulger's voice, and may be recognizable by anyone who may have come in contact with him."

The task force, which includes the FBI, state police, and state corrections officers, said it believed that "international exposure of the recordings will be beneficial to the fugitive investigation."

But a former Bulger associate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was skeptical about whether the voice recording could help in the manhunt.

"He doesn't have a distinctive voice like Orson Welles or James Earl Jones," said the former associate. "If he sounded like Daffy Duck, maybe they'd have a better chance of catching him."

The recordings taken by the FBI were released to all media outlets today. Authorities reminded the public that a $1 million reward is being offered for any information leading directly to Bulger's arrest.

Bulger, a longtime FBI informant, fled days before a warrant was issued on Jan. 4, 1995 for his arrest on federal racketeering and extortion charges. After he went on the lam, investigators uncovered hidden graves containing the bodies of some of his alleged victims. He is now charged with 19 murders.

The last confirmed sighting of Bulger was in September 2002, when he was spotted strolling down a street near Piccadilly Circus in London, the FBI has said. Investigators are looking into a possible sighting in Sicily last year and they've said they are focusing on Europe in their hunt for the 78-year-old fugitive.

Tips may be directed to 1-800-CALL-FBI or http//www.fbi.gov/tips.