ticklethewire.com
After a relentless search, the FBI in Los Angles on Wednesday evening captured fugitive Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in Santa Monica along with his girlfriend as a result of a tip from a public service announcement that began airing this week, law enforcement authorities said.
The search that spanned the world capped a 16-year hunt for Bulger who had been on the lam since 1995. He was charged with 19 murders.
The capture in the Los Angeles area came after the FBI this week launched a campaign with billboards and TV ads focusing on Bulger’s girlfriend Catherine Elizabeth Greig, who was wanted for harboring a fugitive. The Boston Globe reported that the tip came as a result of the latest campaign.
The campaign included a 30-second, FBI- produced public service announcement (PSA) that began airing around the country.
The Associated Press reported early Thursday morning that the two were arrested without incident at a Santa Monica home after the FBI had been conducting a surveillance operation in the area.
FBI on its twitter page announced: “FBI Agents in Santa Monica, CA have captured Boston Fugitive James J. “Whitey” Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig.”
Bulger, 81, was on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list.
Both are scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in California on Thursday.
Bulger was an FBI informant and reportedly got away with crimes while working with the bureau. The Boston FBI had formed a task force to hunt Bulger.
