Even before the trial has started, there has been some drama. The judge originally appointed to prosecute had to be removed from the case because there may be a perception that he has past links with the accused. The accused in question is Whitey Bulger, a Boston-based Irish-American mob leader. A new judge will now preside over the trial which will begin in June.
Born in 1929 as James Joseph Bulger, Jr, Whitey grew up Boston's working-class Irish-American neighborhoods. The family was poor and when the boy was nine, they moved into a South Boston housing project. While one of his younger brothers, Billy, was a good student and eventually became a leading politician, the elder boy preferred the excitement of the streets. He joined a gang and first had trouble with the law when he was fourteen. He spent part of his teens in juvenile reformatory and later had a troubled Air Force career.
Whitey returned to his hometown after his discharge from the military in the early 1950s. He quickly resumed his criminal career and was arrested. From the middle of the decade, he spent nine years in federal prisons all across the United States but when he was released, he once again became involved in the Boston underworld. He rose up through the ranks and in 1978 took control of the Winter Hill Gang, the city's Irish mob.
During the 1980s Whitey and his close ally Stephen Flemmi eliminated their competition and built the Winter Hill Gang into the most powerful criminal organization in Boston. Their criminal activities included arms and drug trafficking, extortion, loansharking and hijackings. However, they evaded prosecution.
It later turned out that the duo had been FBI informants. This helped explain how they managed to transform the Winter Hill Gang into Boston's mightiest criminal organization. They simply provided the FBI with information that led to the arrest of their enemies, in this way eliminating their competition. For example, they helped nail the Italian-American Patriarca family and took over control of the North End area in Boston.
The Irish-American mob boss' own downfall came in 1994. The DEA along with the Massachusetts and Boston Police had been investigating the organization's activities and had built up a strong case. When the mobster heard that he was about to be arrested, he fled and became one of America's most wanted criminals. Flemmi was arrested.
In the following years, there were Bulger sightings all over the country and investigators even traveled to England, Uruguay and Canada in pursuit of the fugitive. The reward that would lead to his arrest was two million dollars, surpassed only by the price on the head of Osama Bin Laden. An Icelandic former model and beauty queen eventually gave police the tip that led to their man's arrest in Santa Monica in 2011. He is currently awaiting trial on several charges, among them nineteen murder charges.
Hollywood has sat up and taken notice. Whitey Bulger's relationship with his senator brother was the inspiration for the television show 'Brotherhood' while his involvement with the FBI inspired the movie 'The Departed'. His life will be the subject of a Barry Levinson-directed film starring Johnny Depp while Ben Affleck is also planning a film that will star Matt Damon.
Born in 1929 as James Joseph Bulger, Jr, Whitey grew up Boston's working-class Irish-American neighborhoods. The family was poor and when the boy was nine, they moved into a South Boston housing project. While one of his younger brothers, Billy, was a good student and eventually became a leading politician, the elder boy preferred the excitement of the streets. He joined a gang and first had trouble with the law when he was fourteen. He spent part of his teens in juvenile reformatory and later had a troubled Air Force career.
Whitey returned to his hometown after his discharge from the military in the early 1950s. He quickly resumed his criminal career and was arrested. From the middle of the decade, he spent nine years in federal prisons all across the United States but when he was released, he once again became involved in the Boston underworld. He rose up through the ranks and in 1978 took control of the Winter Hill Gang, the city's Irish mob.
During the 1980s Whitey and his close ally Stephen Flemmi eliminated their competition and built the Winter Hill Gang into the most powerful criminal organization in Boston. Their criminal activities included arms and drug trafficking, extortion, loansharking and hijackings. However, they evaded prosecution.
It later turned out that the duo had been FBI informants. This helped explain how they managed to transform the Winter Hill Gang into Boston's mightiest criminal organization. They simply provided the FBI with information that led to the arrest of their enemies, in this way eliminating their competition. For example, they helped nail the Italian-American Patriarca family and took over control of the North End area in Boston.
The Irish-American mob boss' own downfall came in 1994. The DEA along with the Massachusetts and Boston Police had been investigating the organization's activities and had built up a strong case. When the mobster heard that he was about to be arrested, he fled and became one of America's most wanted criminals. Flemmi was arrested.
In the following years, there were Bulger sightings all over the country and investigators even traveled to England, Uruguay and Canada in pursuit of the fugitive. The reward that would lead to his arrest was two million dollars, surpassed only by the price on the head of Osama Bin Laden. An Icelandic former model and beauty queen eventually gave police the tip that led to their man's arrest in Santa Monica in 2011. He is currently awaiting trial on several charges, among them nineteen murder charges.
Hollywood has sat up and taken notice. Whitey Bulger's relationship with his senator brother was the inspiration for the television show 'Brotherhood' while his involvement with the FBI inspired the movie 'The Departed'. His life will be the subject of a Barry Levinson-directed film starring Johnny Depp while Ben Affleck is also planning a film that will star Matt Damon.
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