James "Whitey" Bulger was arrested by the FBI in Santa Monica, California on Wednesday. The arrest ended a 16-year manhunt that took state and federal authorities around the world before finding their man in a rent-controlled triple decker.
Bulger faced a judge in a Los Angeles courtroom. While in the courtroom, he appeared to be confident as he chatted with his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, and imitated reporters by pretending to scribble notes on an imaginary notepad.
Bulger was smiling and confident... And he should be.
Bulger is 81 years old. He has lived his life in relative comfort and ease. When he was arrested, there wasw $800,000 reportedly in his apartment. That's just one home. Imagine what could be in the other dwellings he used while he was on the lam.
The FBI not only spent 16 years tracking him down but also protected him. He was an informant. He enjoyed legal protection while authorities removed competitors. Businesspeople all over would salivate at such an arrangement.
Now that Bulger is apprehended, former FBI agents including former agent John Connolly Jr. will have a lot to answer for. Bulger will take down many former members of the organization who brought him to justice, but not before shielding him from arrest and taking care of loose ends he may have had.
Current members of the FBI are happy to have their man. They hope this will put to rest suspicions the general public may have about the integrity of the bureau and the genuineness of their desire to take him down. Current FBI agent have already begun issuing the standard "A few corrupt individuals does not a corrupt organization make." from the Law Enforcement Playbook.
"Whitey" Bulger eluded capture for more than a decade. He had means with which to support, provide for, and protect himself and his mistress. His run has ended. He will face justice but what justice can there really be for a man who has lived his life and got caught in his eighties?
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