When we talk about famous mob bosses, people think of Al Capone, John Gotti, and maybe Frank Lucas if they like Denzel Washington movies but people don't generally think of Whitey Bulger despite the fact that at one point he was the number 2 most wanted individual after Osama Bin Laden.  He managed to evade law-enforcement for 16 years and his story is certainly an interesting one.  

It was an easy case once he was captured, and some would argue that Whitey didn't even really try to fight it once caught.

<h3> The year was 2013 </h3> 

<center> ![662480271.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/OCpagt39-662480271.jpg)
[source](https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/styles/x_large/nprshared/201810/662480271.jpg)</center> 

Bulger was a pretty terrible person starting from the time he was a teenager.  Known as being someone to not mess with because of his street-fighting prowess, he was routinely arrested for petty crimes and various assaults.  When he was of age he entered the military with the hopes of being reformed:  This did not work out.  He was arrested multiple times by military police for assaults and also for going AWOL.  Despite all of this he was received an honorable discharge.  

<center> ![7a8cfc7907_bulg304262008.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/vIqAmlF5-7a8cfc7907_bulg304262008.jpg) 
[source](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2008/04/25/7a8cfc7907_bulg304262008.jpg?w=620)
<sub> Not exactly a model soldier </sub> </center> 

After leaving the armed forces Whitey had a go at a normal life with a normal job but this didn't last long.  He soon found himself back in the criminal underworld and just to keep things short, let's just say that he quickly rose up in the ranks to eventually become one of the top dogs.  He had a reputation as someone that had no fear of using violence as a tactic, but also possessed honor in that he would never intentionally target someone that wasn't also involved in criminal activities.  

It was through his connection with a childhood friend that his position as "boss" would truly become solidified.  

<center> ![connolly.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/GXbrfnPK-connolly.jpg)
[source](https://www.metro.us/sites/default/files/main/articles/2014/11/20/connolly.jpg) </center>

John Connolly was a childhood friend to the Bulger family and was also a rather high-ranking FBI agent.  Connolly approached Bulger about becoming an FBI informant in exchange for "protection."  Basically, if Bulger was able to rat out other mob activities, the authorities, in exchange would leave him and his operations alone.  

It also proved very helpful to have a family member in a well-respected position

<center> ![2CA65B31000005783244907imagea31_1442947105283.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/Mqp27YYj-2CA65B3100000578-3244907-image-a-31_1442947105283.jpg)
[source](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/09/22/19/2CA65B3100000578-3244907-image-a-31_1442947105283.jpg)</center>

Whitey's younger brother, William (known as "Billy") became a Massachusetts state senator, obtaining re-election 8 times and eventually becoming the President of the state senate.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if your brother is a senator, you get a lot of passes on things, including crimes that all of us would rot in prison for.  

His long line of criminal offenses that he would eventually be charged with on this day in 2013 include:
* drug trafficking 
* arms trafficking 
* using the state lottery as a money laundering scheme
* multiple murders
* larceny, forgery, and fraud

His "untouchable" status all came to an end in 1994 when the FBI realized their ranks were compromised and a joint task force was established.  He was tipped off by FBI pal Connolly and went on the run.  Traveling all over the United States and even internationally, Bulger was an extremely meticulous planner and during those years he visited several safety deposit boxes he had purchased many years earlier under the alias of "Tom Baxter."  

Tom Baxter lived a life of relative comfort and it really is amazing how he was able to avoid a global manhunt for 16 years.  He would later state that he never tried to live a life of a recluse and even traveled to high-profile tourist destinations such as London, Venice, New York City and in a now famous event he traveled to Alcatraz, a prison that he had actually done some time in and even posed for one of those tourist pictures.

<center> ![article00CC28A9A00000578736_634x619.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/0zhggXDK-article-0-0CC28A9A00000578-736_634x619.jpg)
[source](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/27/article-0-0CC28A9A00000578-736_634x619.jpg)</center> 

He was eventually caught because of a television program called "America's Most Wanted"  where a $2 million reward was offered for information leading to his arrest (Whitey had been featured on this show **16 times**.)   A neighbor of his, who he had an innocent yet friendly relationship with, called the line and soon after Whitey was in custody.  

<center> ![hqdefault.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/olgeNaTz-hqdefault.jpg)
[source](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9vxfNPrPnQk/hqdefault.jpg)</center>

In 2011, a now 81=year old Bulger, did not attempt to flee and was reported as being extremely cooperative.  Over the next 2 years he would face a wide-variety of charges, almost all of which he plead "not guilty" to.   There were so many charges, that several states decided to not press any against him pending the results of the Massachusetts trial.  

Today, in 2013 Whitey would be found guilty of 47 out of 48 charges and sentenced to double life sentences plus 5 years... which in my mind is just a silly thing to say to a now 83-year old man.  

He would serve time in multiple prisons, eventually ending up in the a federal prison in Hazelton, West Virginia.  His tenure in this prison would not last long as just **one day** after his arrival he was found non-responsive in his cell.  The 89-year old had been beaten to death at some point in the night.  Freddy Geas, also an inmate in the same prison with ties to the Italian mob, is purported to have organized and committed the brutal murder.  Because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the transfer and immediate hit, it is thought that this transfer was organized by mob ties inside the system specifically for the purpose of killing Bulger.  

<center> ![n4G9sNl.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/VCW1YnPi-n4G9sNl.jpg)
[source](https://i.imgur.com/n4G9sNl.jpg)</center> 

While it is probably wrong to admonish people of this sort, it certainly is an interesting life even though he was the cause of a lot of pain for a lot of people.  Whitey Bulger is portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2015 film *Black Mass,* which I highly recommend.