James 'Whitey' Bulger's time on the run
On Dec. 23, 1994, James "Whitey" Bulger is tipped off by his former FBI handler that he is about to be indicted. He flees the state, beginning what will turn out to be 16 years on the run from federal authorities. Here are the main events leading up to his capture this year.
The manhunt
Jan. 4: Arrest warrant issued for Bulger and associate Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Flemmi is arrested the next day on extortion charges.
His life
January: Bulger is indicted on racketeering and extortion charges. He returns to Boston to drop off homesick Teresa Stanley, who had initially fled with him; picks up another girlfriend, Catherine Greig.
June 30: Bulger spotted on a Native American reservation in Sheridan, Wyo.
His life
May 13: Bulger buys prepaid calling cards to make almost 50 calls to the Boston area.
July: Stanley cooperates with the FBI, revealing Bulger's alias, Thomas Baxter.
Summer: Bulger's brother "Jackie" helps him make new fake ID, but the gangster doesn't like the picture.
November: Bulger meets associate Kevin Weeks for the last time in New York City.
The manhunt
April: Greig charged with harboring a fugitive; Flemmi reveals in court that he and Bulger were FBI informants.
May 29: FBI offers first reward for Bulger: $250,000
The photos on the FBI's original Wanted poster shows Bulger in 1993 and Greig in 1994.
The manhunt
Federal judge holds yearlong hearings on the corrupt relationship between the FBI and Bulger and Flemmi.
May 12: Greig's twin sister indicted for lying to a federal grand jury about phone calls from Greig.
His life
April: Bulger and Greig, posing as Charlie and Carol Gasko, live in Santa Monica apartment building.
The manhunt
Aug. 19: Bulger placed on FBI's 10 Most Wanted list.
Dec. 22: Retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., Bulger's handler, indicted for racketeering.
The manhunt
September: Bulger and Flemmi indicted in the murder of 19 people between 1973 and 1985.
James S. 'Spike' O'Toole, 43, of Dorchester, was shot to death in front of the Avenue Laundry at Savin Hill and Dorchester avenues on Dec. 1, 1973.
Edward Connors, 42, of Dorchester, was gunned down in a telephone booth on Morrissey Boulevard because he was talking openly about his role in the murder of James O’Toole.
Richard J. Castucci (left, with Frank Sinatra in 1960), who owned popular Revere stripclub The Squire, was killed after he allegedly told the FBI the whereabouts of a Winter Hill gang safe house in New York City.
Richard Wheeler, 55, of Oklahoma, chairman of Telex Corp. and owner of Miami-based gambling company World Jai Alai, was executed in the parking lot of a country club in Tulsa, because he suspected Bulger’s gang was skimming money from his business.
Debra Davis, 26, of Quincy. She was Flemmi’s girlfriend, who knew Flemmi and Bulger were FBI informants, was planning to leave him for another man. Flemmi said he lured her to his mother’s South Boston apartment, where Bulger strangled her. Her body was found in a shallow grave near the Neponset River in Quincy.
EdwardBrian Halloran, 41, a Bulger associate, was gunned down as he drove home from a South Boston bar. Halloran, an organized crime figure under indictment on murder charges, was an FBI informant who fingered Bulger and Flemmi in the Wheeler murder.
The body of John B. Callahan, 45, of Winchester, was found in the parking lot of the Miami International Airport in the trunk of a rental car with Massachusetts plates. The body of the former president of World Jai Alai was identified through fingerprinting.
John McIntyre, 32, of Quincy, implicated Bulger and Flemmi in a plan to ship guns to the Irish Republican Army. His body was also found near Florian Hall.
Deborah Hussey, 26, of Milton, accused Flemmi of sexually molesting her as a child, and he lured her to a South Boston home where Bulger strangled her. Her body was the third in the Florian Hall grave in 2000.
Arthur“Bucky” Barrett reportedly stole $1.5 million from a Medford bank in 1980. Flemmi and Bulger allegedly tortured him to find the money, Bulger shot him in the head. His grave was found near Florian Hall in Dorchester in 2000.
Michael Donahue, 32, of Dorchester, was an innocent bystander who was gunned down outside Topside Bar on Northern Avenue in South Boston as he gave Brian Halloran a ride home.
Nov. 29: Reward for Bulger increased to $1 million.
His life
January: Greig spotted at hair salon in Fountain Valley, Calif., while Bulger waited outside.
The manhunt
Nov. 8: John "Jackie" Bulger charged with lying to a grand jury about his brother; he later pleads guilty and is sentenced to six months in prison.
His life
Sept. 9: Bulger spotted in London. FBI says at the time that the sighting is credible.
The manhunt
Aug. 6: Brother William Bulger is pressured to resign as president of the University of Massachusetts amid questions about his relationship with Whitey Bulger.
His life
May 15: Bulger obtains a California identification card of look-alike, James William Lawlor, giving Bulger his most valued alias.
Bulger was struck by the resemblance between him and Lawlor, and used the likeness to obtain this senior citizen's ID from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
His life
Aug. 7: "C. Gasko" purchases juice less than two blocks from where Catherine Greig gets her hair cut.
Nov. 10: San Diego police officer says he saw Bulger leaving a screening of "The Departed," in which Jack Nicholson plays a mobster modeled on Bulger.
His life
Aug. 8: James William Lawlor dies alone. Bulger grieves but continues to use Lawlor's ID.
Lawlor lived at the West End Hotel in Los Angeles. It was in that tiny apartment where he died of a heart attack on Aug. 8, 2007.
The manhunt
Sept. 3: Reward for Bulger doubled to $2 million. It is Bulger's 79th birthday.
His life
June 28: Man calls "America's Most Wanted" and reports seeing Bulger on Santa Monica pier.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
Whitey Bulger lived near the Santa Monica Pier during his years on the lam.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
Bulger lived in an apartment on Third Street, just two blocks from the ocean.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
Bulger and his girlfriend were described as model tenants by the management at the apartment complex.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
Third Street Promenade is a lively strip in Santa Monica.
THE BOSTON GLOBE
In January 2000, a customer at this salon in Fountain Valley told the FBI she saw Greig in the beauty shop getting her hair colored as Bulger waited in the car.
His life
September: Bulger and Greig go to dinner at Michael's, a high-end Santa Monica restaurant. That month, Bulger turned 80.
The manhunt
May 1: Navy SEALs kill Osama bin Laden, leaving Bulger at the top of the FBI's Ten Most wanted list.
June 20: FBI increases reward for Greig from $50,000 to $100,000 and launches new campaign targeting her.
This poster featuring images of Bulger and Greig was used as part of a new campaign specifically targeting Greig in June this year. It was part of the campaign that caught the attention of Anna Bjornsdottir, a former actress and Miss Iceland 1974, who lived in the same Santa Monica neighborhood for months at a time.
His life
June 21: Anna Bjornsdottir recognizes Bulger and Greig in TV news report as the couple she calls Charlie and Carol Gasko. She calls FBI.
June 22: Whitey Bulger and Catherine Greig arrested in Santa Monica.
JESSEY DEARING FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Whitey Bulger and Catherine Greig lived in Unit 303 (top right) at 1012 Third Street under the alias of Charles and Carol Gasko for at least 13 years in Santa Monica.
The view from the former apartment of Whitey Bulger.
FBI HANDOUTS
Black curtains covered the windows of Whitey Bulger’s apartment in Santa Monica.
FBI HANDOUTS
A light-diffusing material and duct tape covered the windows of Whitey Bulger’s bedroom.
REUTERS
A cache of weapons including a number of handguns, an assault rifle and a sawed-off shotgun, and bundles of cash were found during the search.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
A wall in the living room of Whitey Bulger’s former apartment where weapons were stashed. This photo shows the apartment after it had been cleaned and renovated for new tenants.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
A bedroom in Whitey Bulger's former apartment.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
A bathroom in Whitey Bulger’s former apartment where money was stashed. This photo shows the apartment after it had been cleaned and renovated for new tenants.
YOON S. BYUN/GLOBE STAFF
A bathroom in Whitey Bulger’s former apartment. This photo shows the apartment after it had been cleaned and renovated for new tenants.
The manhunt
March: Greig pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity fraud, and identity fraud. Under the plea agreement, Greig is not required to testify against Bulger. However, prosecutors could still call her to testify against Bulger. She could face contempt charges if she refuses. The plea agreement also prohibits Greig from profiting from her life with Bulger by selling her story for a book or movie. If she does, she must turn any profits over to the government.
June 8: Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year sentence for Catherine Greig. Greig, who joined Bulger on the run in 1995, pleaded guilty in March to charges that she helped him while at large. She faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of three convictions: conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity fraud, and identity fraud.
June 12: Catherine Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison by a federal judge who said that she had aided “someone accused of the most serious crimes imaginable” to evade capture by law enforcement.
His life