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The arrest, trial of James 'Whitey' Bulger

The Arrest of Whitey Bulger
James "Whitey" Bulger, Boston's most notorious gangster, worked hand-in-hand with FBI agents, ratting out his Mob rivals in exchange for protection. When the partnership unraveled, he disappeared. He was arrested in Santa Monica, Calif., with his long-time girlfriend, Catherine Greig, on June 22, 2011. He is expected to go on trial in June 2013.

Book: Whitey Bulger biography

By Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy
This unforgettable narrative follows the astonishing career and epic manhunt for Whitey Bulger — a gangster whose life was more sensational than fiction.
Buy the book Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Powells  |  iBookstore  |  Indiebound
Schedule of appearances

Schedule of appearances

Authors Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy are holding talks and signing their book about Whitey Bulger across the region. Check for their next appearance near you.

Special reports

2011
Whitey in exile
1998
Whitey & the FBI
1998
Whitey's life on the run
1995
The story behind Whitey's fall
1988
THE BULGER MYSTIQUE

Bulger e-books

Latest news

Potential jurors may face a
wide variety of questions

Lawyers want to ask prospective jurors about their interest in Boston noir and their views on marijuana, among other topics.

Prosecutors: Immunity claim ‘fantastical,' ‘absurd’

The brief was filed one day after Bulger’s lawyers said in court papers that he is not asserting a license to kill by saying late federal prosecutor Jeremiah O’Sullivan granted him immunity. (4/2/13)
Live chat recap: Authors of James 'Whitey' Bulger book speak

Live chat recap: Authors of James 'Whitey' Bulger book speak

Globe writers Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, who recently penned a book on reputed South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, recently chatted with Boston.com readers.
New judge wants Bulger trial to start June 10, as previously planned

New judge wants Bulger trial to start June 10, as previously planned

US District Court Judge Denise Casper says she will not let her late arrival in the case push the long-awaited trial beyond its previously scheduled start date. (3/26/13)

In win for Bulger, appeals court removes judge

US District Court Judge Richard Stearns, who was a federal prosecutor when James "Whitey" Bulger was accused of serving as an FBI informant, was tossed off the case. (3/14/13)

Bulger's hospitalized for heart woes

James "Whitey" Bulger was quietly examined this month for an irregular heartbeat, raising questions about whether health problems will keep him from his long-anticipated trial. (2/21/13)

Bulger’s lawyer gets extension to file papers on informant defense

US District Judge Richard Stearns has given the attorneys for notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger extra time to file paperwork defending Bulger’s claim that he was authorized by federal law enforcement officials to commit crimes in return for working as an informant. (Globe, 1/2/13)

Bulger’s attorney accuses prosecution of document overload

The defense attorney for James “Whitey” Bulger stated in court papers filed Thursday night that federal prosecutors are wasting time by handing over multiple copies of the same documents in the 360,000 pages of evidence that Bulger’s defense team has received. (Globe, 9/7/12)

Images, documents provide window into Greig's life on the run

Prosecutors released evidence in the Catherine Greig case, including the couple's utility bills for their apartment, fake IDs, and a small arsenal of guns. (Globe, 6/15/12)

Attorney: Greig won't challenge conviction

Catherine Greig will not appeal her conviction for helping Bulger evade capture for more than 16 years, but is thinking about whether she wants to challenge her eight-year prison sentence. (Globe, 6/14/12)

Greig's twin sister asked judge to be lenient

In an unsealed letter, Margeret McCusker said her sister "never possessed an evil bone in her body" and wasn't involved in "Whitey" Bulger's crimes. (Globe, 6/13/12)

Greig sentenced to eight years, fined $150,000

Catherine Greig, the girlfriend who spent years on the run with notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, was sentenced today to eight years in prison by a federal judge who said that Greig had aided “someone accused of the most serious crimes imaginable” to evade capture by law enforcement. (Globe, 6/12/12)

Records: 'Whitey' was informant as early as '50s

When James "Whitey" Bulger grew from small crimes to bank robbery, he gave up his accomplices, which may be how he learned to use the FBI. (Globe, 5/30/12)

Supreme Court won't hear appeals from alleged Bulger victim's family

The court won't hear an appeal over whether the family of a man allegedly killed by "Whitey" Bulger should get millions of dollars from the government.

Documents: Bulger may have penned memoirs

James "Whitey" Bulger may have written two memoirs, one of which was titled "My Life in the Irish Mafia Wars," according to new court documents. (Boston Globe, 3/13/12)

Appeals court rules against kin
of Bulger’s alleged victims

A lawyer for the US Department of Justice argued against damages already awarded to the families of Whitey Bulger’s victims, saying there’s no cause and effect linking the government’s corrupt informant to these particular murders. (Boston Globe, 10/6/11)

Lawyer: Greig won't cooperate with authorities

James "Whitey" Bulger's girlfriend pleaded not guilty to a federal charge today. Her attorney said she will not cooperate with authorities. (Boston Globe, 8/18/11)

Prosecutors detail life on lam with Bulger

James “Whitey’’ Bulger and his companion, Catherine Greig, used at least 15 aliases, including one embossed on an AARP card, during their 16 years on the lam, federal authorities said. (Boston Globe)

Bulger pleads not guilty before watchful eyes

James “Whitey’’ Bulger pleaded not guilty to a federal racketeering indictment charging him with the murders of 19 people, speaking softly during a packed hearing that offered a glimpse of how the case against Boston’s most infamous gangster might unfold. (Boston Globe)

Politicians, media felt Whitey's shadow

The Bulger brothers — politician William and gangster Whitey — cast long shadows for years in realms that sometimes intersected, veterans of the era recall. (Boston Globe)

Despite notoriety, Bulger no easy case

What might seem like a slam-dunk case against James “Whitey’’ Bulger will be an immensely complex undertaking, costing taxpayers millions and playing out over years, former prosecutors and defense attorneys say. (Boston Globe)

Earlier Bulger charges dropped

A federal judge granted a request by prosecutors yesterday to dismiss racketeering charges brought against James “Whitey’’ Bulger in 1995, saying it was “very much in the public interest’’ that the 81-year-old stand trial in a later case charging him with 19 murders. (Boston Globe)

Prominent pair poised to take up the defense

Two prominent Boston lawyers are poised to team up on one of Boston’s most sensational criminal cases, representing reputed mobster James “Whitey’’ Bulger against accusations that he is responsible for 19 murders. (Boston Globe)

Bulger tells of armed visits to Hub

James “Whitey’’ Bulger returned to Boston in disguise and “armed to the teeth’’ several times during his 16 years on the run because he had “to take care of some unfinished business,’’ prosecutors said in court documents yesterday. (Boston Globe)

Many figuring that Bulger will name names

From the gritty South Boston housing development where James “Whitey’’ Bulger grew up to the grassy stretches of Castle Island, people said that they expect the former crime boss to implicate more federal agents for corruption in the handling of his case. (Boston Globe)

Bulger offers new details to authorities

A chatty James “Whitey’’ Bulger provided FBI agents with intriguing details about his life on the run after his arrest last week, boasting that he routinely slipped into Mexico to buy medicine for a heart condition, according to a law enforcement official. (Boston Globe)

For neighbors in California,
memories now seem surreal

They were the gray-haired couple who blended in, yet often surprised people with acts of almost excessive kindness. On Wednesday, neighbors in the Princess Eugenia apartment building where the couple lived learned who they really were. (Boston Globe)

Families cynical of FBI's role

Some worry that the truth about James "Whitey" Bulger's crimes will be concealed while the case is controlled by the federal government. (Boston Globe)
Brian McGrory

Justice, finally, for Boston

In James “Whitey’’ Bulger’s capture, there is finally justice for all. (Boston Globe)

Guns, 'substantial' amount of cash found in Calif.

After 16 years on the run, fugitive mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was arrested yesterday at a house in Santa Monica, Calif. with more than 20 guns and a small fortune in cash, police said. (Globe, 6/23/11)

Records: Bulger lived in apartment since 1999

Fugitive gangster James “Whitey’’ Bulger had hundreds of thousands of dollars at his disposal – but he lived in a rent-controlled apartment since at least 1999, according to the building manager and city records. (Globe, 6/23/11)
KEVIN CULLEN

Alleged victim's family reacts

Tommy Donahue was awakened by a call telling him the man alleged to have killed his father Michael 30 years ago was finally captured. (Globe, 6/23/11)
Scot Lehigh

Now, the rest of the story

Lehigh discusses how the search for a fugitive has ended, but it also opens a whole new chapter in the search for truth. (Globe, 6/23/11)

James Bulger cast powerful aura over brother

William M. Bulger reached the top of the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts system because of his own smarts, connections, and innate understanding of politics. Nonetheless, there has always been an aura around him rooted in his close relationship with his gangster brother, James “Whitey” Bulger. (Globe, 6/23/11)

TV ads are latest tactic in hunt for 'Whitey' Bulger

The Boston task force searching for "Whitey" Bulger has embarked on a new strategy: using daytime television to find Bulger's longtime companion, Catherine Greig. (Boston Globe, 6/21/11)
The never-told story of the gangster and his little son

Whitey Bulger was his dad

Whitey Bulger was his dad

Fifteen years after he fled town for good, you’d think there’d be nothing new to say about Boston’s most-chronicled serial killer. Oh, but it seems there is. (Boston Globe, 1/23/10)

From the archives

On its 16th anniversary, search goes on

The FBI says its worldwide manhunt got a boost last year from an appeal to plastic surgeons and dentists to be on the lookout for the elderly gangster and his girlfriend. (Boston Globe, 1/5/11)

US Marshals joins hunt

For the first time, the US Marshals Service has joined the international manhunt for Bulger. (Boston Globe, 10/7/10)

Judge raps US over Bulger civil trial

A federal judge found that the Justice Department tried to humiliate and embarrass the families of two women who were murdered. (Boston Globe, 9/25/10)

A makeover in effort to find Bulger

The FBI hopes that James “Whitey’’ Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig, might have felt the need for a little makeover. (Boston Globe, 5/13/10)

Connolly convicted

Ending a chapter in Boston history that has cast a shadow on the FBI for more than a decade, a Florida jury convicted retired agent John J. Connolly Jr. (right) of second-degree murder for plotting with informants "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi to kill a potential witness. (Boston Globe, 11/7/08)

FBI ups ante for capture

As fugitive gangster James "Whitey" Bulger marked his 79th birthday, the FBI increased the reward for information leading directly to Bulger's capture from $1 million to $2 million. (Boston Globe, 9/4/08)

Martorano to return to Hub after prison term

He was one of the most notorious hitmen in Boston mob history. He became the first in a rogues gallery of underworld figures to turn government witness against gangsters James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and their corrupt FBI handlers. (Globe Staff, 3/20/07)

For Weeks, life of crime is all over

Kevin Weeks said his book about James ''Whitey" Bulger helped him close the chapter on living in the gangster's shadow for 25 years. (Boston Globe, 3/13/06)

Chapter closes on Flemmi

Tim Connors was only a baby when his father, Eddie, was snatched from him by gangsters Stephen Flemmi and James "Whitey" Bulger, gunned down on June 12, 1975, as he stood defenseless inside a Dorchester telephone booth, prosecutors say. (Globe Staff, 1/28/04)