U.S marshals join hunt for James ‘Whitey’ Bulger

The US Marshal service has joined the international manhunt for the Boston Irish American crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger. Bulger who is listed on the FBI's ten most wanted fugitives has been on the run for 15 years.

FBI agents have enlisted the help of US Marshals who will join their team of State police investigators and state Department of Correction officers who have been searching full time for the fugitive.

US Marshal John Gibbons told the Boston Globe that the agency "has a long-standing reputation as being expert fugitive investigators and we look forward to providing the FBI with our assistance in this matter. It is our hope that this joint initiative will ultimately lead to the arrest of Bulger so he can face justice.”

FBI agent Gregory Comcowich, a spokesperson for the FBI's Boston has great faith in the US Marshals ability to contribute to the search.

"They will bring local, state and international contacts that we hope will assist us in catching Bulger,'' he told the Boston Globe.

81 year-old Bulger is wanted for a list of felonies including racketeering, 19 counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. He fled the country prior to his 1995 federal racketeering indictment in Boston. In the past he was a longtime FBI informant.

According to FBI data, Bulger is an avid reader with a particular interest in history. He enjoys taking walks on beaches and parks and is an animal lover.

The last confirmed sighting of the fugitive was in London in 2002. Federal officials believe he is travelling with his 59 year-old long term girlfriend, Catherine Elizabeth Greig. Grieg has undergone several plastic surgery procedures in the past, as a result the FBI has appealed to plastic surgeons worldwide to be on the look out for the fugitives girlfriend who may be tempted to go under the knife again.

The FBI have issued a $2million reward for information leading directly to Bulger's arrest.