James 'Whitey' Bulger, Santa Monica Misfit: He Never Pet Our Dogs, or Let Catherine Stop for 'Girl Talk,' Complain Neighbors

By Simone Wilson Thu., Jun. 23 2011 at 9:45 AM

Categories: Crime

Associated Press

Bulger, 81, and his longtime girlfriend: Santa Monica misfits.

Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, arrested yesterday after 16 years on the run, should have known he'd stand out like a sore thumb at the Princess Eugenia -- a peaceful apartment complex on Third Street, where Santa Monica retirees have nothing better to do than stick their noses into neighbors' beeswax.

Under the names Charles and Carol Gasko (adorable!), the couple attempted to keep up the appearance of your average 70- to 80-year-old Westsiders...

... so as not to spend their golden years behind bars.

But interviews with residents who lived side-by-side with the FBI's No. 1 Most Wanted criminal now reveal the East Coast kingpin to have been somewhat of a giant loser in the hood.

Third-floor resident Barbara Gluck tells the Associated Press that -- although Bulger's girlfriend and partner in crime, Catherine Greig, was "sweet and lovely" -- Bulger would become very angry if he ever caught them engaging in "girl talk," and would say, "Stop talking to her."

Gluck calls the master FBI evader, wanted for 19 counts of murder, "nasty." She says she thinks he has a "rage issue."

Google Maps

Renters beware of the misfits on the third floor.

What a meanie, right? (The kind of guy who could shoot a man between the eyes and never look back, even.) Everyone who's anyone knows retired Santa Monica life is nothing without girl talk. It also hinges heavily on the relationship one forms with the yappety dogs next door -- something which Bulger and Greig never really got the hang of, Third Street resident Robert Goldman tells the Los Angeles Times.

According to the Times, "the owner of a cocker spaniel and a Chihuahua mix... said unlike many in the area, Bulger and Catherine Greig never asked to pet his dogs."

Big no-no.

For someone who FBI officials call the "criminal version of Elvis," ol' Whitey had a lot to learn about the Santa Monica coastline, a place yuppies go to gossip/grow old/pet pets. "They sort of kept to themselves," says Goldman. (Perhaps having something to do with the "substantial cash and a variety of weapons" stashed in their unassuming two-bedroom?)

Anyway, someone in the area apparently snitched, because the feds set up shop outside Bulger's apartment Tuesday evening, and had arrested him and Greig by the next night. (They'll be in L.A. federal court at 2 p.m. today.) And in the end, their capture could definitely have had to do with Greig's need for normative girliness; agents were reportedly watching out for her at salons and plastic-surgery offices.

For the full story, see "James 'Whitey' Bulger, Boston Mob Boss From 'The Departed,' Arrested in Santa Monica at 81."

[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]

Tags:

Catherine Greig, FBI, James Bulger, mafia, mob, Santa Monica, wanted, Whitey

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HeywoodJa

The picture of the elderly man and woman accompanying this article is of a GERMAN couple who were MISTAKEN for Whitey and his gal that was taken in Sicily. Doesn't say much for the veracity of the material provided when you can't even get a picture right.

Lightnapper

Bulger said "stop talking to her" (Motor Mouth Gluck) because he knew she was a typical Westside, meddlesome, busybody, gossip who'd spill the Boston Beans in a New York minute. Probably, hits people with her shopping cart while chatting on the cell phone at Gelson's or Trader Joe's. Andy Warhol is turning in his grave.

First

These self absorbed nouveau-yuppies/pseudo hipsters actually think it's ok to own a dog while living in an apartment building. Thousands of other people in Santa Monica don't want to pet your stupid dog either.....

ela_ine

Not all, but a lot of dog owners think that everyone wants a dog to jump all over them and lick them and such.

Beaner

Yeah, I am tired of all e liberal Santa Monica pukes that think people want to pet their little dogs after they shit and pissed all over their lawn. WTF

Expunge

Whitey had rage issues...really ya think! 54 murders.

Rooster

The downfall of any man will be his woman...

Dirty Frank

This sad psychopath has surely been in permanent downfall since puberty, a trajectory typical of many misguided young talents. As he careened out of control ruining the lives of all he connected with, he no doubt left a trail of misery and rage. The various women Whitey dragged along with him were not critical to any part of his story serving as distraction and decoration to what is at its core the story of a lonely impotent human being. There is no glory or honor or redemption evident in this vicious self serving life or in the larger business of organized crime for that matter. It all adds up to a putrid blight on the harvest of hard working honest people and should not be glorified or sanitized in any way (sorry Mr. Puzo and Mr. Chase et al . . .).

Whitey and his ugly little life aside, when the dust settles the real criminals will be the parasites behind the curtain. And, you can be certain that when the lives of two Bulger brothers are finally examined, the greater harm will be attributed to the outwardly less violent and seemingly cowardly white collar "gentleman".