BOSTON (Reuters) - The FBI has paid a $2.1 million reward to tipsters who provided information leading to the June arrests of former crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger and his girlfriend, who were captured after 16 years on the run together.

The reward money was paid to more than one individual, according to an FBI statement released on Friday. It did not identify the recipients.

Bulger, 82, and his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested in Santa Monica, California, in June with a stash of about 30 firearms and $822,000 in cash hidden in holes in the wall of their apartment.

Just days ahead of the arrest, the FBI launched new televised public service announcements about the pair, aimed at female viewers who might have seen Greig.

The FBI had offered $2 million for information leading to the arrest of Bulger, who had been placed on the agency's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1999. A $100,000 reward was offered for a tip that resulted in apprehending Greig.

Authorities said the information leading to the arrests was a direct result of the new media campaign.

Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 after receiving a tip from a corrupt FBI agent that federal charges were pending. Greig joined him a short time later and has been charged with harboring Bulger as a fugitive.

Bulger, who for years led the Boston-based Winter Hill Gang, faces charges that include 19 alleged murders from the 1970s and 1980s. Both Bulger and Greig have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston)









so the 2.1 million dollars to catch an 82 year old man.... thats not including their salaries, trips, food and other wastes of money not mentioned...

This guy 82 or not was a POS and needed to be caught!

POS yes, worth the money to catch him...i don't think so... not like he was still killing people...

It depends on whether you care more about money or about justice. There's a reason they don't have a statute of limitation for murder.

i don't disagree that he should be in jail, but at what cost? an 82 year old man, can barley walk is worth spending that kind of money on?
i guess the informants are happy... seems pretty silly to me, when their are younger, more violent and dangerous people that need catching...

We are always told, "tell that to the families of the people he murdered". What do you think they might say. Besides. his capture is good for the for-profit non-union prison industry. You're OK with that, aren't you?

I just at it as a colossal waste of money, a lazy way to do their job... they used to catch criminals without having to pay people, called investigation... i think that is a bit cheaper

typical it's a power trip

what I really wonder is why in h@ll did the pair stay in the US???? baffles the mind

true -that is a good point

yes but the dude could be financing young blood crime with that 80 thou in his wall

maybe, but i still see it as being lazy, and the government already can't pay their bills...and it had to be someone that knew him and where he was at, so they paid criminals for it... how nice

Who cares how old he is?!? This guy was dangerous and committed horrible crimes. Hell, he was found with an arsenol of weapons including military grade weapons and explosives. I don't care how old he is, he is still VERY dangerous and still had to pay for his past crimes.

They don't know if he as still killig people, but he was still commiting crimes.

No, it was someone(Married couple) who lived in the same buliding as they did and that they were found it who turned them in.

"The reward money was paid to more than one individual, according to an FBI statement released on Friday. It did not identify the recipients."

i guess you know something i don't...

"Bulger, 82, and his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested in Santa Monica, California, in June with a stash of about 30 firearms and $822,000 in cash hidden in holes in the wall of their apartment."

again, i take it you found a better source if information? at least they got almost half the money back...

How can it be a colossal waste of money when it helps put money in the pockets of people who will spend that money in the consumer markets, helping revive the economy? Especially considering that America's economy is 70% consumer-driven.

like i said, that money almost had to go to a criminal element, as the criminals that surrounded them were the only people that new where they were at...but other than that, you are right, if you like lazy cops...

I like that paid informants help law enforcement put away the bad guys. I watched the sopranos. I like that those guys spend their money in the same stores, restaurants and boat dealerships as ordinary people. And they don't have to commit murder or theft to get that money. It's a way to earn an honest living. Two birds with one stone. Stimulate the economy, put a bad guy in prison. What's the down side? I don't see one.

please quote the whole post, not just parts of it....