Someone out there is ready to buy a new pair of shoes after the FBI paid out a $2.1 million reward for tips that led to the arrest of fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger and companion, Catherine E. Greig.
The Bureau announced the reward payment on Friday.
The recipients of said reward were not identified in a press release, which said the hot tip was a direct result of an FBI public service campaign aimed at capturing the duo. At least two people got the cash.
“To protect the anonymity and privacy of those responsible for providing information which directly led to the arrests of Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig, the FBI will not comment further regarding this matter,” the FBI said in a statement.
Bulger has since pleaded not guilty to all counts against him, including his alleged role in 19 murders. Greig, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty to harboring him.
According to prosecutors, Bulger was the ringleader of a South Boston Irish gang before he fled an impending racketeering indictment back in 1995.
Greig, 60, allegedly helped Bulger from January 1995 until late June, when the pair was arrested in California.
The FBI’s public service campaign included 30-second TV spots that targeted female viewers in Greig’s age group.
“The FBI is targeting that audience with the belief that a friend, co-worker, neighbor, hairstylist, manicurist, doctor or dentist might recognize Greig,” the FBI said in a June press release.
As part of the aggressive media campaign, the FBI said it would place pictures of Greig and Bulger on digital billboards in Times Square in New York and in other cities.
The FBI offered a $2 million reward for Bulger’s arrest and another $100,000 for the arrest of Greig.
According to an official indictment, Greig and Bulger pretended to be a married couple under different false identities and claimed to be from states other than Massachusetts. She would shop and handle bills so that Bulger would “minimize his time in public,” it asserts.
