James 'Whitey' Bulger
| James 'Whitey' Bulger | |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 3, 1929 Boston, Massachusetts
|
| Charges: | Racketeering conspiracy (including 11 murders), extortion, money laundering, narcotics distribution, and possession of firearms including machineguns (2013 federal case). Earlier: armed bank robbery (1956). |
| Sentence: | Two consecutive life terms plus five years; $19.5 million restitution and $25.2 million forfeiture (2013). Earlier: 20-year sentence for bank robbery (1956), paroled 1965 after ~9 years. |
| Released: | N/A, died in federal custody October 30, 2018 |
| Facility: | |
| Status: | Deceased, killed by fellow inmates at USP Hazelton, West Virginia, October 30, 2018 (age 89) |
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr., born on September 3, 1929, was a Boston organized-crime boss who led the Winter Hill Gang. While operating as an FBI informant, he controlled much of the criminal underworld of South Boston through the 1970s and 1980s. He fled Massachusetts in late 1994 ahead of a federal indictment and spent 16 years as a fugitive, including time on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list. He was arrested in Santa Monica, California, on June 22, 2011. In 2013, a federal jury convicted him of racketeering conspiracy and related charges, finding him complicit in 11 murders, and U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper sentenced him to two consecutive life terms plus five years. He was beaten to death by fellow inmates at USP Hazelton in West Virginia on October 30, 2018, within hours of his transfer there.
Early Life and Career
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr. was born on September 3, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in the Old Harbor housing project in South Boston. He was the brother of William "Billy" Bulger, who became president of the Massachusetts State Senate and later of the University of Massachusetts. Bulger rose to lead the Winter Hill Gang, a criminal organization associated with the Winter Hill area of Somerville, Massachusetts, and dominated organized crime in South Boston.
Criminal Case
As a young man, Bulger was convicted in 1956 of armed bank robbery linked to a series of bank robberies and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. He was paroled in 1965 after serving roughly nine years.[1] Decades later, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Bulger ran a vast criminal network emanating from South Boston during the 1970s and 1980s. He engaged in loansharking, extortion of bookmakers and businesses, narcotics and firearms trafficking, and murder, while simultaneously serving as an FBI informant.
In late 1994, upon learning of his impending federal indictment, Bulger fled Massachusetts. He remained a fugitive for about 16 years and was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. On June 22, 2011, Bulger and his companion Catherine Greig were arrested in Santa Monica, California, where they had been living under aliases. The FBI reported recovering more than $800,000 in cash and over 30 firearms from the apartment.[2]
Trial and Sentencing
Bulger went on trial in 2013 in U.S. District Court in Boston before Judge Denise J. Casper on a 32-count indictment that included allegations of complicity in 19 murders. On August 12, 2013, after a two-month trial, the jury convicted him of 31 of 32 counts, including racketeering conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, narcotics distribution, and firearms possession.[3] The jury found he played a role in the murders of 11 victims: Deborah Hussey, Paul McGonagle, Edward Connors, Thomas King, Richard Castucci, Roger Wheeler, Brian Halloran, Michael Donahue, John Callahan, Arthur Barrett, and John McIntyre.
On November 14, 2013, Judge Casper sentenced Bulger to two consecutive life terms plus five years, ordering $19.5 million in restitution. Press reporting also cited a $25.2 million forfeiture order.[4]
Incarceration
Bulger's tie to the Atlanta federal prison dates to his 1950s incarceration, not his final imprisonment. After his 1956 bank-robbery conviction, he entered the Atlanta federal prison in July 1956. At that time the facility was the United States Penitentiary (USP) Atlanta, a high-security penitentiary, not the modern FCI Atlanta (low-security) designation, so the security-level label is anachronistic for Bulger's era. His 1950s and 1960s chronology included USP Atlanta starting in July 1956, a transfer to Alcatraz in 1959 following an escape attempt, and subsequent transfers to Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas and Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania by 1963.[5] He was paroled in March 1965 after serving about nine years.
Following his post-2013 conviction, Bulger was designated to serve his life sentence at USP Coleman II in Florida. In October 2018, he was moved out of Coleman and processed through the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, arriving about October 25, 2018, before being transferred to USP Hazelton in West Virginia. He was placed in general population at USP Hazelton and, on the morning of October 30, 2018, was found dead, having been beaten by fellow inmates within hours of his arrival.[6] A December 2022 review, Report 23-007 from the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, attributed the circumstances to Bureau of Prisons management failures but found no evidence of malicious intent by BOP staff.[7]
Release and Aftermath
Bulger died in federal custody on October 30, 2018, at age 89, at USP Hazelton in West Virginia.[8] His death was investigated and prosecuted as a homicide. Three men, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, Paul DeCologero, and Sean McKinnon, were later charged in connection with his killing. Ultimately, Bulger's decades as an FBI informant and the corruption of his FBI handler became a major law-enforcement scandal and the subject of extensive books and films.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did James "Whitey" Bulger do?
Bulger led the Winter Hill Gang and ran organized crime in South Boston during the 1970s and 1980s, while secretly acting as an FBI informant. A federal jury convicted him in 2013 of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, narcotics distribution, and firearms offenses, and found him complicit in 11 murders. As a young man he was also convicted of armed bank robbery in 1956.
Q: How long was James "Whitey" Bulger's sentence?
In November 2013, U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper sentenced him to two consecutive life terms plus five years, along with $19.5 million in restitution. He died in prison in 2018 while serving that sentence.
Q: Where was James "Whitey" Bulger incarcerated?
In the 1950s-1960s he was held at the U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta, then Alcatraz, Leavenworth, and Lewisburg before parole in 1965. After his 2013 conviction he was designated to USP Coleman II in Florida, and in October 2018 he was moved through the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City to USP Hazelton in West Virginia, where he died.
Q: Was Bulger held at FCI Atlanta (low-security)?
He was held at the Atlanta federal prison, but in 1956-1959, when the facility was the high-security United States Penitentiary (USP) Atlanta. The modern low-security FCI Atlanta designation does not match Bulger's era.
Q: When and how did James "Whitey" Bulger die?
He was killed by fellow inmates on October 30, 2018, at USP Hazelton in West Virginia, within hours of being transferred there. He was 89. His death was investigated and prosecuted as a homicide.
See also
References
- ↑ "'Whitey' The Prisoner: A Master Manipulator". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Top Ten Fugitive James 'Whitey' Bulger Arrested". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Federal Jury Convicts James "Whitey" Bulger". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Bulger Sentenced to Two Life Terms". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "'Whitey' The Prisoner: A Master Manipulator". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ ""Misery Mountain": Violence plagued West Virginia prison before Whitey Bulger killing". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Handling of the Transfer of Inmate James "Whitey" Bulger (Report 23-007)". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Whitey Bulger's Life Ends At Federal Prison In West Virginia". '. Retrieved .