Bulger Remanded To Massachusetts Following Downtown Court Hearing

 
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon and waived his right to a removal hearing.

Bulger will now be remanded to Boston, MA to face federal charges of murder, extortion, racketeering and money laundering stemming from crimes committed from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s.

The infamous crime boss, who was on the FBI's most wanted list, was the leader of South Boston's Winter Hill Gang, according to the FBI. Officials believe he was responsible for as many as 19 murders.

Bulger, 81, and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, 60, were arrested Wednesday night at the Princess Eugenie apartment complex in Santa Monica following a tip from the FBI's Boston Bureau. The pair was arrested without incident. The complex's manager said they had been living there for over a decade under the names Charles and Carol Gasko.

KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports.

Greig also appeared in federal court Thursday and was remanded to Boston. She is facing charges of harboring a fugitive. Officials say she had been on the run with Bulger since 1995.

On Thursday morning, FBI investigators continued to search the couple's Santa Monica apartment and recovered 30 guns, two shotguns, hundreds of thousands of dollars and a collection of fake IDs.

Bulger, now 81, was the inspiration for Martin Scorsese's acclaimed 2006 film "The Departed."The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg.

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