Mob Boss James "Whitey" Bulger, wanted for at least 19 killings, racketeering offenses, and other crimes from the early 1970s to the mid-1980's was arrested on June 22, 2011. Bulger, who is now 81 years old and the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in "The Departed," has been on the run since 1994, when he fled Boston to avoid being arrested by federal agents. Bulger was on the FBI's list of top 10 most wanted fugitives, and a $2-million reward was issued for his arrest (Mather). .
"He stabbed people, he beat people with a bat, he shot people, he strangled people. He ran people over with a car," said one law enforcement official. "After he killed someone, it was like a stress relief for him. He'd be all nice and calm for weeks after (CBS News). .
Bulger was arrested with his companion, Catherine Greig. A stash of cash totaling "hundreds of thousands of dollars" and nearly 30 guns, including two shotguns and an assortment of handguns, were found in the couple's apartment after their arrest (CBS News). .
"Recent publicity produced a tip that led agents to a residence in Santa Monica, California, where they located Bulger and Greig Wednesday evening," said a statement released by Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of FBI's Boston office, and Steven Martinez, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office (Murphy). .
Bulger fled just before his racketeering indictment in January 1995. Later, in a federal court in Boston, it was revealed that Bulger was a longtime FBI informant. Former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. was Bulger's corrupt handler who informed him of his pending arrest. After the news of his role as an FBI informant went public, several of his former associates turned against him, allowing the FBI to discover the secret graves of several of his victims in the Boston area. These tips also allowed the FBI to discover that Bulger had murdered 19 people (Murphy).