Crime & Safety

Details of "Whitey's" Capture Expected This Morning

James "Whitey" Bulger, alleged mob boss, arrested in California.

(This article was written by Santa Monica Patch editor Kurt Orzeck and updated by Boston Patch editors at 10:15 a.m.)

Top law enforcement officials from Massachusetts are scheduled to discuss the capture of James "Whitey" Bulger this morning at US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office in the Moakley Courthouse in Boston.

Bulger, the alleged mob boss and Top Ten Fugitive who has been on the run for 16 years, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, California. His longtime companion, Catherine Greig, was also arrested.

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Bulger had been wanted for at least 19 murders that occurred in the 1970s and '80s in connection "with his leadership of an organized crime group that allegedly controlled extortion, drug deals, and other illegal activities in the Boston [area]," according to the FBI.

Bulger, 81, and Greig, 60, are scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The FBI and U.S. Attorney are planning to provide more information about the arrests in Boston on Thursday.

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The FBI arrested Bulger at 10:13 p.m., a  confirmed to Santa Monica Patch. The arrest occurred at the Princess Eugenia, a residential complex that houses one- and two-bedroom apartments. It is located at 1012 Third St., just south of Washington Blvd.

As of 1:24 a.m., FBI agents were still investigating inside the apartment complex, and several police officers were stationed outside it. Agents were searching the trunk of a car that was located in the Princess Eugenia's garage, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Bulger Said To Be In Ailing Health

Santa Monica Patch spoke with multiple area residents, all of whom were unaware of Bulger's background.

Bulger and Greig were arrested without incident, according to the FBI. Previously, the FBI had said that Bulger was considered to be armed and dangerous. "He has a violent temper and is known to carry a knife at all times," the FBI said.

Bulger is reportedly in ailing health, according to the Boston Globe. “I don’t think he’s in a position to be fighting anybody,’’ a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Globe.

Latest FBI Campaign May Have Paid Off

The FBI had recently renewed its efforts to locate Bulger, launching a publicity campaign in 14 cities, according to multiple reports.

"Recent publicity produced a tip which led agents to Santa Monica where they located both Bulger and Greig at a residence early this evening," the FBI said in a statement.

According to The Associated Press, the FBI had been conducting a surveillance operation near the location where Bulger was arrested.

Bulger "maintains his physical fitness by walking on beaches and in parks" with Greig, according to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list. The Princess Eugenia is less than a mile from  and roughly a half-mile from .

The FBI had been offering up to $2 million for information leading to his arrest.

Bulger, who had previously been an FBI informant, vanished after an ex-FBI agent told him authorities were ready to indict him, according to The Associated Press. He had last been seen in 2002 in London, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Bulger was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in the Martin Scorcese thriller The Departed, and the subject of multiple books.


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