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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Whitey Bulger Goods for Sale!

BOSTON (CN) - The U.S. Marshals Service will auction off crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger's possessions this summer - including a replica of a championship ring from the 1986 Stanley Cup - to pay down his $25 million restitution order.

The U.S. Marshals Service will sell Bulger's stuff from June 24 to 26 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, according to the April 4 final order of forfeiture. Some of the items belonged to Bulger's girlfriend Catherine Greig, who lived with the mobster in Santa Monica, California, during his years as a fugitive.

"We are pleased that we will soon be auctioning a significant portion of Bulger's and Greig's personal possessions, which will mark another milestone in the course of their successful prosecutions," U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said.

"Although the proceeds we obtain will never be enough to make up for the harm the victims and their families have suffered, it is our hope that this process and the restitution we will be able to distribute as a result of the auction will give some relief to the victims and families in this case."

A complete list of auction items is not yet available, but the auction will be open to the public and simultaneously online.

In addition to "household items," and $821,499.49 in currency, the government seized a massive cache of weapons from Bulger's and Greig's apartment after their arrest in June 2011, according to the forfeiture order.

Federal prohibits the resale of seized weapons, however, so the firearms will be "disposed of," the order from U.S. District Judge Denise Casper states.

Bulger's artillery included 30 guns, an "inert facsimile grenade," a set of eight knives, a Taser, plenty of ammunition, holsters and accessories.

The leader of Boston's notorious Winter Hill Gang, Bulger went into hiding in 1994 after his FBI handler tipped him off that his arrest was imminent.

His arrest in 2011 led to a month-long trial, and Bulger is now serving two life sentences plus five years after he was convicted in 2013 of racketeering, weapons and murder charges.

Bulger is believed to be responsible or partly responsible for 19 murders and faces a $25 million restitution order to the families of his victims.

The FBI has received a great deal of blame for letting Bulger commit various crimes under its nose as a supposed "top echelon" informant - a relationship Bulger manipulated to put his rivals out of commission.

Bulger had tried unsuccessfully to avert the forfeiture of his replica Stanley Cup ring, saying it was a gift. A logo on the 1986 ring depicts the "Montreal Canadians," according to this week's order. It is unclear whether the misspelling of the Canadiens is how the ring appears, or an error from the court.

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