Didn't FBI protect Whitey Bulger in Boston?
According to the FBI, Bulger served as a confidential informant for the Bureau beginning in 1975, a claim Bulger denies.[4] However, as a result, the FBI largely ignored his organization in exchange for information about the inner workings of the rival Italian-American Patriarca crime family.[5][6][7] Beginning in 1997, the New England media exposed criminal actions by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials tied to Bulger. For the FBI especially, this caused great embarrassment.[8][9][10] Bulger fled Boston and went into hiding on December 23, 1994, after being tipped off by his former FBI handler, John Connolly, about a pending indictment under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). For sixteen years, he remained at large. For twelve of those years, Bulger was second on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, behind Osama bin Laden.[11]
Charges
Racketeering (RICO):
Murder (19 counts)
Conspiracy to commit murder
Conspiracy to commit extortion
Narcotics distribution
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Extortion