James Joseph bulger JR

Former mob boss of The Winter Hill Gang. James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger, Jr., age 89 was killed at the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, West Virginia while serving a life sentence for a number of gang-related crimes including participation in 11 murders. Whitey was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 3, 1929, to James Joseph Bulger, Sr. and Jane Veronica "Jean" Bulger. He was the oldest of 5 children, including his famed younger brother, Massachusetts lawyer and Democratic politician, William "Billy" Bulger. While growing up on the south side of Boston local police gave James the nickname "Whitey" for his blonde hair. At age 14 he began an extensive life of crime. He spent about 8 years in the Atlanta federal prison from 1956 to 1963 for armed robbery and truck hijacking. Following his release, Bulger was involved with crimes that included but not limited to arms and drug trafficking, extortion, gambling, larceny, arson, and murder. In 1971 Bulger was recruited by the FBI as a police informant, what information he provided has been up for debate. The accommodations/amnesty the FBI may have given Bulger for his information remains a controversial topic. A number of bookmakers testified in paying Bulger "protection money". In April 1994, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Massachusetts State Police began a probe into Bulger's gambling operations. The FBI was not initially informed. However, retired FBI agent, John Connolly who befriended Bulger, had informed him that the Department of Justice had sealed indictments for his arrest. In response, Bulger along with his common-law wife, Theresa Stanley fled Boston On December 23, 1994. Bulger spent nearly 12 years on the FBI Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive's list, second only to international terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. Bulger was eventually apprehended in California on June 22, 2011. In August 2013, Bulger was convicted on 31 counts including involvement of murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 5 years. On October 30, 2018, Bulger was allegedly beaten to death by a number of inmates only hours after he arrived at United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, West Virginia. His death remains under investigation. Whitey Bulger was the inspiration for the character Frank Costello played by Jack Nicholson in the 2006 film The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese. The film would go on to win 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Bulger was also portrayed by Johnny Depp Black Mass, 2015 biopic based on the eponymous book written by Dick Lehr which chronicled Bulger's life.