February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Jim Smith
BOSTON — Irish-American mobster James "Whitey" Bulger has "extreme bad breath" and "may be found in homosexual communities/resorts or nudist facilities," according to the Wanted poster issued last week by the Tulsa, Okla., police department.
Bulger, who was indicted in Boston last fall for the murder of 18 people, was indicted last Wednesday in Tulsa for the murder of Roger Wheeler, an Oklahoma millionaire and owner of World Jai Alai. Authorities believe that Bulger and two associates killed Wheeler in 1981 after he complained that some of his profits were going to the Boston mob.
Oklahoma investigators have told reporters that information about Bulger’s lifestyle has come from reliable, confidential sources, and the FBI in Boston has confirmed that agents have looked into "unsubstantiated rumors" about Bulger’s sexual preference.
News about the Wanted poster has provided fodder for local radio talk shows, with many callers suggesting that the Oklahoma police, frustrated by Bulger’s fugitive status, are taking a shot at his macho image in hopes of drawing him out. Oklahoma officials, however, insist that the information on their poster is credible.
Dick Lehr, co-author of the best-selling book about Bulger and his gang, "Black Mass," told a WEEI radio audience last Friday that he is skeptical about the claims made on the poster.
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The U.S. attorney in Boston, Donald Stern, issued a statement last Wednesday pledging ongoing cooperation with Oklahoma authorities. "We will continue to pursue all available investigative avenues and to cooperate with related investigations," he said.
Bulger, who is 71, has been on the run since early 1995, when he was allegedly tipped off about a pending indictment by his FBI handler, agent John Connolly.