Lovable Neighbor Whitey Bulger Boston Mob Boss

James “Whitey” Bulger was an unassuming little man who was kind to his neighbors and paid for everything in cash. He didn’t drive a car and had limited social contact. There was only one thing this mob boss didn’t leave behind when he went into hiding 16 years ago, that was his girl friend Catherine Greig.  The two had lived quietly together in a 1970s complex in Santa Monica as a retired couple. Federal Agents traced him to his dwelling last week targeting the one thing Bulger didn’t leave behind, his girlfriend.

Image via Wikipedia

Bulger was a Boston mob boss who fled from prosecution in 1995 after being tipped off by a retired FBI agent. It was big news at the time and so was his ability to stay one step ahead of the law. Bulger was believed to have millions of dollars hidden in secret accounts but investigators found only $80,000 hidden in the apartment. The couple lived frugally shopping often at the 99 cent store.

Bulger was connected to 19 murders including the murder of a man who was shot so many times his legs were almost severed from his body. Between the time he left Boston and when he appeared in Santa Monica, Bulger had about two years to reinvent himself. He and his girlfriend arrived as Charles and Carol Gasko and settled in the apartment where he was arrested. They lived the quiet lifestyle that prevented their detection for 16 years.

Neighbors described them as a sweet and lovable couple who went out of their way to be friendly neighbors. Agents searched in 19 countries for the couple and contacted plastic surgeons who might have helped them. Last week the FBI focused on Public service announcements asking for information leading to Greig’s whereabouts. A tip led them to the apartment. They called and told Bulger someone had broken into his storage unit, when he arrived at the unit , agents arrested him. Bulger is 81 years old and Grieg is 60.