Within 24 hours after getting a phoned tip, FBI agents and Los Angeles police arrested Boston organized crime figure James “Whitey” Bulger and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, at a Santa Monica apartment building near the beach, ending a 16-year international manhunt, says the Boston Globe. A focus on viewers of daytime television programs may haave been the key. On Monday, an FBI-led task force launched a $50,000 media campaign featuring a 30-second television spot publicizing the worldwide hunt for the couple. It aired during commercial breaks of daytime shows like “The View,” “Ellen,” and “Live with Regis & Kelly.”
The ads were to run in 350 time slots in 14 cities, not including Los Angeles. They were aimed at viewers who would have been more likely to encounter Bulger's girlfriend — 21 years his junior — than Bulger himself. The bureau, which had offered a $2 million reward for information leading to Bulger's capture, also doubled the reward for Greig, who was wanted for harboring a fugitive, from $50,000 to $100,000.