. James “Whitey” Bulger's is believed to have hidden money in property in Ireland as FBI continue the hunt for his cash.
FBI forensic investigators are continuing to track Whitey Bulgers cash to Ireland as estimates of his hidden wealth top €100m in property, cash, jewels, safety desposit boxes and covert off-shore accounts.
Security sources close to the FBI investigations claim that the comparatively small sums found in safe deposit boxes in Dublin, London and Boston during his time on the run amounting to little more a couple of hundred thousand dollars is a fraction of his hidden wealth, and have now targeted his property empire which is believed to be extensive and to include many properties across Ireland.
While some of his family were compromised with links to his previous small cash holdings the big prize being chased by investigators are his property empire. Forensic investigators close to the case believe that Whitey used his IRA connections to launder huge sums of his illicit gains.
FBI teams over the last decade have travelled over to Ireland in search of his cash reserves and property empire but the laundering expertise of his IRA comrades have eluded them.
The FBI agents were themselves criticized for bringing their golf clubs over to Ireland in their hunt for Whitey’s money and indeed in the hunt for Whitey while he was on the run for 16 years.
The most infamous mobster who is now serving life imprisonment was captured living the life of a pensioner in Los Angeles with a million dollars in cash hidden in the walls of the apartment.
During his time on the run he was believed to have spent some time in Ireland and some of his key associates were involved in a number of IRA gun running expeditions.
Kevin Cullen, an author of several books on Whitey Bulger told the Sunday World that the gangster who was the inspiration for ‘The Departed”, had allegedly links with Ballybunion and Galway which were followed up extensively over the decades.
“Whitey did have a safety deposit box in a Dublin bank, in Collgee Green area (The Bank of Ireland). The Feds seized stuff from it when he was on the run.
“I wouldn't be surprised if he squirrelled money away in many different places, certainly in the US, but also in Europe. He was in Galway in the late 1980s”, Cullen told the Sunday World.
It is no surprise to Cullen that Ireland could be a home for Whitey's money because while he was active and on the run his connections with Ireland were strong.
“Whitey stashed money in a lot of places because he had to have contingency plans, knowing that his FBI protectors could not protect him forever."
The author of ‘Whitey Bulger’, America’s most wanted gangster and the Manhunt that brought him to Justice’ told the Sunday World that the “FBI went searching for him in Ireland many times, but the leads were specious at best. I know a Garda who had dealings with them and he said some FBI agents
brought their golf clubs over. I guess they thought Whitey might be at Lahinch or Ballybunion”, Cullen said this week.
“The end of Whitey has killed off the Irish mob in Boston and even if his money is still out there. Boston has changed completely in the time that Whitey was on the run. There is no Irish mob left. All dead or in prison or became informants”, Cullen said.
At best Whitey’s money will be reclaimed by the banks as dormant accounts or absorbed into republican coffers by their old money launderers.
What is certain is that Whitey has no intention of telling anyone where is money is now or in the future and he doesn’t have much of that lefT,.
