By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Westborough – When one of New England's most notorious fugitives, James “Whitey” Bulger, was captured earlier this summer after 16 years in hiding, the reputed mob boss once again became front page news. One of those with a keen interest in this story is Howie Carr, who has written two best-selling books about Bulger and his cohorts, “Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano, Whitey Bulger's Enforcer & The Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld” and “The Brothers Bulger”.
Carr, who is also a sometimes controversial radio show host for WRKO and columnist for the Boston Herald, was the special guest speaker at the Corridor Nine Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting held on August 18 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough. He addressed the audience of 200 Chamber members with his stories of the tangled web of intrigue between Bulger, other mobsters, cops, politicians and FBI informants. Carr alternately made the audience laugh, wince and gasp as he spoke of the notorious gangster who terrorized and ruled South Boston before he went into hiding.
Carr spoke of how Bulger had personally threatened to have him killed, although as he noted, “I think he was just trying to scare me. Because if he really wanted me dead, he would have made it happen.”
Although many believe that federal agents knew where Bulger has been for the last 16 years, Carr said he “does not believe any conspiracy theories or that Whitey was in a safe house.”
He does, believe however, he said, that Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig, who was also captured with Bulger, “knows a lot more than she is letting on, like where some safety deposit boxes are hidden.”
“It really bugs me that taxpayers may end up paying for Whitey's defense,” he added.
With Bulger now behind bars, interest has definitely been growing in his books, Carr said, and there is even talk of perhaps parlaying them into a movie deal as well. For now though, he noted, he is just enjoying the unexpected boost in popularity that the mobster's capture is giving his career as an author.