Whitey Bulger arrested!!

kraggy

James "Whitey" Bolger, the notorious Irish-American gang leader from Boston, and til now, the no.2 (after Bin Laden) on the FBI's most-wanted list for years, has been arrested in California.

I have followed this guy's story for years. For those of you who don't know, he was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed and has been on the run since the 90's.

Just in the last few days, the FBI started broadcasting tv ads during programmes watched by older women in an effort to track down his partner. Something must have happened as a result.

While on the run, it's common knowledge that he hung out in Conamara for some time as well as places in other European countries. Coincidentally, his former partner in crime, now arch enemy Pat Nee is originally from Rosmuc in Galway too.

Also, Jim Sheridan is in the middle of making a movie about him. He'll have to change the script a little now!

I'm shocked. Thought he'd never be caught. Extremely clever man. And violent too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Bulger

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/22/national/main20073558.shtml?tag=stack

Pierce_1991

Surely Bin Laden's been taken off that list now

kraggy

Obviously.

For years him and Bin Laden were numbers 1 and 2.

onemorechance

kraggy wrote: »

Pat Nee is originally from RosMuc

Fear Ros Muc é!

kraggy

onemorechance wrote: »

Fear Ros Muc é!

Ta bron orm. Deanaim an botun sin a t-am ar fad.

onemorechance

kraggy wrote: »

Ta bron orm. Deanaim an botun sin a t-am ar fad.

Botún beag, ach amháín do lucht ros a mhíl agus ros muc! Go raibh maith agat muid a chuir ar an eolas!

Big story for the morning!

im invisible

Fun Interesting Fact #457

The FBI's '10 Most Wanted' list is not ranked in order of 1 to 10, its just the ten most wanted people on the FBI's files,

(Dont ask me how they judge between 10 and 11...)

onemorechance

im invisible wrote: »

Fun Interesting Fact #457

The FBI's '10 Most Wanted' list is not ranked in order of 1 to 10, its just the ten most wanted people on the FBI's files,

(Dont ask me how they judge between 10 and 11...)

They probably judge #10 to be more wanted than #11!

im invisible

Yeah but, there is no number 10, just a group of 10, they are not ranked..??

Pompey Magnus

im invisible wrote: »

Yeah but, there is no number 10, just a group of 10, they are not ranked..??

Well they must have a ranking, otherwise any random Joe Soap who they are looking for could be there, its just that this ranking is not represented in their order in the top 10 list.

kraggy

It might not officially be ranked but the amounts of money on offer as reward are greater the lower the number.

Are you sure they're not ranked?

Bin Laden and Bulger were no.1 and 2 for years and had the highest rewards.

policarp

Arrested at 81.
Sure he must have retired years ago...

Hootanany

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten

They got him.

Seachmall

How the fuck did he manage to get in and out of the country? I remember a few years ago there was CCTV of him in London, that article says he's been known to bounce around Europe too. I can't get through US customs without fingerprints and retinal scans yet this tit manages to avoid all that despite being one of the most wanted men in the US?!

kraggy

Seachmall wrote: »

How the fuck did he manage to get in and out of the country? I remember a few years ago there was CCTV of him in London, that article says he's been known to bounce around Europe too. I can't get through US customs without fingerprints and retinal scans yet this tit manages to avoid all that despite being one of the most wanted men in the US?!

Didn't the scans only come in in the last couple of years?

He's been back in the States for a few years now it seems. London in 2002 and Italy around the same time.

So he would have been back before the scans were started.

Regardless, he's so crafty and slithery that he could nearly get around anything.

Biggins

The man has been on the run that long, I'm surprised they caught him - but glad they did.

Leftist

For f-cks sake he's an old man, let by gones be by gones.

Biggins

Leftist wrote: »

For f-cks sake he's an old man, let by gones be by gones.

Cobblers - tell that to his many victims, their families who might have lost loved ones - and have never seen justice done - at least possibly till now.

GavRedKing

Biggins wrote: »

Cobblers - tell that to his many victims who have lost loved ones.

Got to agree, age should be no factor when trying to decide whether someone should be arrested and put on trial.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

evil_seed

I thought they'd never get him.

Leftist

Biggins wrote: »

Cobblers - tell that to his many victims, their families who might have lost loved ones - and have never seen justice done - at least possibly till now.

That was ages ago I'm sure they've forgotten.

Free the Southie 1.

Leftist

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCorrect.

It was a Hong Kong production and the character of Jack N was based loosely, oh so loosely on Mr Bulger.

Seachmall

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

I guess when it was ported over for Western audiences they looked for an American criminal organisation they could base it off.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Leftist wrote: »

INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCorrect.

It was a Hong Kong production and the character of Jack N was based loosely, oh so loosely on Mr Bulger.

all those asians look alike anyway

Biggins

Leftist wrote: »

That was ages ago I'm sure they've forgotten.

I nominate that for the most stupidest post of the day - and its only 9am!

theteal

Just had a quick glance at the wiki page. Has anyone ever seen "the brotherhood"? Irish American family, 1 brother gangster, 1 brother politician (the creepiest scene of elderly intimacy ever shown on tv - shudder). Great show all the same. I can't help but feel Mr. Bolger may have been an influence behind that.

Seachmall

theteal wrote: »

Just had a quick glance at the wiki page. Has anyone ever seen "the brotherhood"? Irish American family, 1 brother gangster, 1 brother politician (the creepiest scene of elderly intimacy ever shown on tv - shudder). Great show all the same. I can't help but feel Mr. Bolger may have been an influence behind that.

The premise was inspired by the real-life Bulger brothers from Massachusetts: William M. Bulger was a prominent state politician and his brother, James J. Bulger, was the leader of the Irish-American crime family Winter Hill Gang.

- Brotherhood Wiki

Micky Dolenz

Bet he'll pull the " too old and now has a terminal illness" card to avoid trial and prison.

Biggins

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Bet he'll pull the " too old and now has a terminal illness" card to avoid trial and prison.

Indeed. All of a sudden like there will be a medical report that "O' the poor man is suffering!"
...And he will then get what millions in America can't afford even in basic format - medical care.

jester77

kraggy wrote: »

Obviously.

For years him and Bin Laden were numbers 1 and 2.

After all the years of playing runner up to Bin Laden, the poor lad didn't get long to enjoy his # 1 status

Orando Broom

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

The Departed is based, loosely, on Battle Royale. both good films.

I prefer Pale Rider or Transformers myself

ejmaztec

It's quite annoying as I'd been keeping an eye out for him, and now some fuckwit in the States is going to get MY reward.:mad:

PinkFly

how could he afford to be travelling around the world for all those years??

Biggins

PinkFly wrote: »

how could he afford to be travelling around the world for all those years??

Well supposedly he'd been travelling to a lot of places.
In all likelihood, he'd probably not been to them all.
He also probably had quite a few quid stashed away over the years from his active thug period.
He's obviously brainy to a certain extent and might have planned ahead for such eventualities.

ejmaztec

Biggins wrote: »

Well supposedly he'd been travelling to a lot of places.
In all likelihood, he'd probably not been to them all.
He also probably had quite a few quid stashed away over the years from his active thug period.
He's obviously brainy to a certain extent and might have planned ahead for such eventualities.

Exactly the same as our bankers and politicians, who coincidentally also fall into the gangster category.

Biggins

ejmaztec wrote: »

Exactly the same as our bankers and politicians, who coincidentally also fall into the gangster category.

Indeed.

CardBordWindow

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

The ruthless Boston gangster with Irish connections. Also, there were rumours that Whitey Bulger was an FBI informant before he went on the run.

hardCopy

Orando Broom wrote: »

The Departed is based, loosely, on Battle Royale. both good films.

I prefer Pale Rider or Transformers myself

If it's based on Battle Royale then something was definitely lost in translation.

Maybe you meant Infernal Affairs

Abi

ejmaztec wrote: »

It's quite annoying as I'd been keeping an eye out for him, and now some fuckwit in the States is going to get MY reward.:mad:

Pssshh.. sure I told thems where Bin Laden was...



/counts monies

7sr2z3fely84g5

Bulger was very manipulate and clever,was big embarrassment for the fbi handlers as he used them for his advantage,whole thing was rotten to the core-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Connolly_%28FBI%29

Really great book about bulger is "brutal" by kevin weeks.

mikemac

Just on the money, any chance his politician brother has been supporting him with money throughout the years?

If I were an editor I'd hire a forensic accountant and an journalist and I'd have a cracking story for my paper.

And if it proved there was no connection it'd still be a good story

Spread

I think I read years ago that he had dosh stashed in safe deposit boxes in major cities in Europe.

nxbyveromdwjpg

He even looks like a villain

Captain Darling

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how the hell was the the inspiration for a character in the departed? the departed is a rip off of a korean movie

Based on the infamous Korean career criminal Ho Chi Whitie.

Awful fecker.

aidan24326

Seachmall wrote: »

How the fuck did he manage to get in and out of the country? I remember a few years ago there was CCTV of him in London, that article says he's been known to bounce around Europe too. I can't get through US customs without fingerprints and retinal scans yet this tit manages to avoid all that despite being one of the most wanted men in the US?!

If you look at his FBI wanted poster it says he used multiple aliases and was known to alter his appearance through the use of disguises. Probably had a number of fake passports. They believe he 'travelled extensively throughout the US, Europe, Canada and Mexico'.

From his wiki page:

He had also set up safe deposit boxes, containing cash, jewelry, and passports, in locations across North America and Europe including Florida, Oklahoma, Montreal, Dublin, London, Birmingham and Venice.

It's gas to think that at some point customs in the US may have searched or questioned him (just randomly as they do, or perhaps on suspicion of something) and had no idea they were talking to the most wanted fugitive in the country after Bin Laden.

Anyway I wouldn't go having any sympathy for him just because he's an old man. He was a nasty piece of work in his time.

Captain Darling

nm wrote: »

He even looks like a villain

He even had a slot on Sunday morning music TV for a while.

ejmaztec

Abi wrote: »

Pssshh.. sure I told thems where Bin Laden was...



/counts monies

Da Shins Kelly

Biggins wrote: »

Cobblers - tell that to his many victims, their families who might have lost loved ones - and have never seen justice done - at least possibly till now.

His "many victims" were mainly mafiosos like himself. Limited sympathy there. You live by the gun, you die by the gun.

That being said, he should still be arrested and put on trial regardless. He's a major criminal.

Biggins

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

His "many victims" were mainly mafiosos like himself. Limited sympathy there. You live by the gun, you die by the gun.

That being said, he should still be arrested and put on trial regardless. He's a major criminal.

I fell less sorry for the Mafioso's themselves but they too still have wives and kids, who through what still is illegal and still murderous act, has deprived them of a possible loved member of their family, a husband, a father, a brother or sister.
Its the families I sympathise with as I'm sure most of us do, probably including your good self. .

R P McMurphy

Biggins wrote: »

I fell less sorry for the Mafioso's themselves but they too still have wives and kids, who through what still is illegal and still murderous act, has deprived them of a possible loved member of their family, a husband, a father, a brother or sister.
Its the families I sympathise with as I'm sure most of us do, probably including your good self. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_AFraxj-4