MIAMI – The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office has placed a transfer order for convicted Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger in connection with a 31-year-old murder case.
Last week, Bulger, 84, was sentenced to two life terms plus five years as architect of a criminal enterprise that, in the words of U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper, committed "unfathomable" acts that terrorized a city.
A federal jury found Bulger guilty in August of 31 counts, including racketeering, extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and weapons possession. The jury held Bulger responsible for 11 killings from 1973 through 1985.
Bulger's next stop may be Miami in connection with the 1982 murder of former World Jail Alai president John Callahan. Police say Callahan was killed for fear that he would inform federal authorities about the murder of World Jai Alai owner Roger Wheeler.
"Callahan, as you know, was found at MIA (Miami International Airport) in the trunk of a car," said WPLG-TV engineer Steve Ellis, who worked at World Jai Alai at the time of the murder.
Callahan was shot twice in the head. A dime was left on his chest, the underworld symbol for snitching.
Federal authorities say Bulger controlled part of World Jai Alai with the help of corrupt FBI agents.
"It kind of attacks everything that you've been taught in your life growing up," said Ellis. "The FBI -- that's the gold standard of ethics."
Ellis worked with Paul Rico, a former FBI agent who worked with Bulger, an FBI informant himself. Another former agent, John Connolly, was convicted for his role in Callahan's murder.
Despite placing a transfer order, Miami-Dade prosecutors haven't decided whether they'll charge Bulger.
James Bulger was first arrested in 1943, at the age of 14, for larceny.