There’s a breaking news report that James “Whitey” Bulger has been arrested in Los Angeles.
Whitey Bulger is one of the world’s most notorious criminals. For years, he had the distinction of being one of only two men on both the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list and Forbes’s World’s 10 Most Wanted List, along with Osama bin Laden. (Ukrainian crime boss Semion Mogilevich has since been added to both lists.) During his heyday, Bulger’s ingenious scheme involved serving as a confidential informant for the FBI against his Mafia rivals, then incorporating nearly two dozen FBI agents into his own unchecked criminal enterprises. One of those agents, John Connolly, tipped off Bulger to his impending arrest in 1995, leading to Bulger’s disappearance for the past sixteen years.
What’s most fascinating about Bulger is that most experts believe that he is responsible for the greatest unsolved art heist in history, the 1990 theft of thirteen priceless artworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It is likely that Bulger either has the paintings or knows where they can be found. The missing artworks include a Vermeer, three Rembrandts, five drawings by Degas, and the finial from a Napoleonic flag.
The location of that stolen art is my version of the child’s hunt for real pirate buried treasure. I’m fascinated by the case and would very much like to see the art returned, but I was skeptical that a credible lead would emerge in my lifetime. Now, Bulger’s interrogation will hopefully include a serious effort to locate and recover the art. It’s the best lead in the case in the past twenty years.
[Update] Here’s Vermeer’s The Concert, the most valuable work of those missing:
See, since I had never heard of this guy prior to the other night, all I can conclude is that his recapture proves that if you want to get something DONE, you talk to the ladies of The View.
[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#43473448]
By: Tara on June 23, 2011
at 9:55 AM
Whitey Bulger did get caught, and it’s long over due, because Whitey Bulger is an extremely nasty and dangerous piece of work. Regardless of his age, his crimes (i. e. murdering 19 people, racketeering, extortion, and pedophilia), he deserves to go to jail for the rest of his life. As for Catherine Grieg, his longtime girlfriend, she was a smart, attractive gal who had a lot going for her. Why she allowed Whitey Bulger to manipulate her and destroy her beats me.
By: mplo on January 17, 2012
at 12:36 AM