Whitey Bulger Found Dead After Move To West VA Prison: Confirmed

BOSTON, MA — Mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, the leader of Boston's former Winter Hill Gang and serving life in prison for 11 murders, was found dead less than a day after he was moved to a federal prison in West Virginia, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Patch.

"Inmate James Bulger was found unresponsive," according to Chris Pullice, public information officer at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in West Virginia in a release, adding "Life-saving measures were initiated immediately by responding staff."

But Bulger was pronounced dead by the Preston County Medical Examiner and an investigation into just what happened is under way, according to the bureau.

Sources close to the investigation tell Patch authorities are looking into a possible suspect or suspects believed to have ties to the mob. Paul Weadick, 63, who was convicted alongside former mob boss "Cadillac" Frank Salemme for strangling to death Boston nightclub owner Steven DiSarro in 1993, is serving life at Hazelton. Salemme is serving life at a Brooklyn, NY prison. Fotios “Freddy” Geas, also a mobster from Massachusetts is serving time there.

Bulger, 89, was moved Monday from a Florida prison to US Penitentiary Hazelton, a high-security prison in West Virginia that holds 1,270 prisoners.

“We received word this morning about the death of James 'Whitey' Bulger. Our thoughts are with his victims and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, who oversaw Bulger's conviction, in a public statement.

Meanwhile, J.W. Carney who was appointed to represent Bulger, appeared to blame the bureau for Bulger's death.

“He was sentenced to life in prison, but as a result of decisions by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, that sentence has been changed to the death penalty,” J.W. Carney said in a statement.

Bulger, who has had heart problems for decades, reportedly had experienced a decline in health, and he was expected to be moved to a federal prison medical facility. It's unclear if Hazelton has a medical facility.

A relative of one of Bulger's victims who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Patch that her family had been contacted by the FBI's Victim Service Division which confirmed the death. No other details were released to the family members, the woman said.

The investigation at the West Virginia prison comes as union employees at the prison expressed concerned about staff reductions. Just last month after a spate of violence at the prison the union president renewed calls for more staffing at the Hazelton prison, according to the Dominion Post.

An inmate at the prison was killed in a fight in September, and another was killed in a fight in April, according to the Associated Press.

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The former crime boss and longtime FBI informant was one of America’s most wanted criminals when he went on the lam in the '90s until 2011 when he was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., where he'd been living with his longtime girlfriend. After a PSA was aired describing Bulger and his girlfriend, someone tipped off the police.

Bulger grew up in South Boston and became involved in organized crime at a young age. He was a member of a gang called the Shamrocks and then went on to lead the notorious and dangerous Winter Hill Gang.

Bulger was serving life for racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, extortion conspiracy, money laundering, possession of unregistered machine guns, transfer and possession of machine guns, possession of firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and possession of machine guns in furtherance of a violent crime. He'd been in custody at USP Hazelton since the day before.

This is a breaking news report. Watch for updates.

- Patch Staff Dave Copland and Colin Miner contributed to this article.

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Photo credit: US Marshal's Office