The NCA recovered £53,041 tied to late US gangster Whitey Bulger to compensate victims’ families in May 2026.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has recovered more than £53,000 linked to infamous American mob boss James Joseph “Whitey” Bulger, a former fugitive who once appeared on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
The funds, totaling £53,041, were seized from UK bank accounts connected to Bulger and will be returned to US authorities to help compensate the families of his victims, according to the NCA on May 12, 2026.
Bulger was the longtime leader of Boston’s violent Winter Hill Gang and was convicted of multiple murders alongside crimes including racketeering, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. He fled the United States in 1994 after learning federal charges were imminent and remained on the run for 16 years.
The FBI eventually arrested Bulger in Santa Monica, California, in 2011. Two years later, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus an additional five years in prison. He was murdered behind bars in 2018 at the age of 89.
Investigators said the NCA’s Asset Denial branch uncovered two UK bank accounts linked to Bulger, including one allegedly opened under an alias during the early 1990s. Authorities secured a freezing order before recovering the money.
US courts had previously issued a forfeiture order exceeding $25 million, determining the amount represented proceeds generated through Bulger’s criminal operations. A separate restitution order of more than $19.5 million was also issued for victims’ families.
Rob Burgess, Head of Investigations for Asset Denial at the NCA, said the case highlighted cooperation between British and American authorities to ensure criminal assets are returned to victims.
Bulger’s criminal history later inspired Hollywood portrayals, including Johnny Depp’s role in the 2015 film Black Mass, while the character Frank Costello in The Departed was reportedly based in part on the notorious gangster.
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