February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Jim Smith
BOSTON — the youngest brother of Irish-American gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was arrested last week on federal charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. John Bulger was handcuffed and taken into custody by federal authorities at his South Boston home early Friday morning. He was freed on bond pending his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Boston this week.
According to the indictment, Bulger lied when he told a grand jury in 1996 that he had no knowledge that his brother Whitey, who has been a fugitive since January 1995, had a safe deposit box in Clearwater, Fla. The indictment claims that John Bulger had made a rent payment for that box in 1995.
In addition, prosecutors allege that Bulger lied to a grand jury in 1998 when he denied having had any direct or indirect contact with Whitey Bulger since his disappearance.
John Bulger, who is 63, retired in May from his position as clerk-magistrate of Boston Juvenile Court. The middle Bulger brother, University of Massachusetts President William Bulger, testified about his brother Whitey before a federal grand jury earlier this year.
Whitey Bulger, who is 72, is a former FBI informant who is charged in the murders of 21 people. He is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, with a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
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