Whitey Bulger

James (Whitey) Bulger, the South Boston mobster and F.B.I. informer who was captured after 16 years on the run and finally brought to justice in 2013 for a murderous reign of terror that inspired books, films and a saga of Irish-American brotherhood and brutality, was found dead on Tuesday October 30 2018 in a West Virginia prison. He was 89. South Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, wanted for 19 murders, was captured June 23, 2011 in Southern California, the result of a tip from FBI television spots that began airing this week. His capture ended a 16-year manhunt that spanned the globe. The arrest is a long-sought victory for the FBI, whose reputation was sullied by its connection to the mobster and whose fruitless efforts to find the fugitive had been regarded by some with suspicion. Bulger's brother, former president of the state Senate William M. Bulger, had little to say this morning when a reporter knocked on the door of his South Boston home. His younger brother, William, was one of the most powerful politicians in Massachusetts, leading the state Senate for 17 years and later serving as president of the University of Massachusetts for seven years. William Bulger testified about his brother before a congressional committee and has said he has only heard from his brother once since he became a fugitive. Whitey Bulger led the violent Winter Hill Gang, a largely Irish mob that ran loan-sharking, gambling, and drug rackets in the Boston area. He was nicknamed “Whitey’’ for his shock of bright platinum hair.