357 - Whitey Bulger: How the FBI Built a Mob Boss

Today we take a fascinating look into how Whitey Bulger rose to power in Boston's underworld in the 70's and 80's, with not only the FBI's protection, but also their direct help. No one (that we're aware of publicly, at least) benefitted more from the FBI's Top Echelon Informant Program than Irish-American gangster, Whitey Bulger. Whitey rose through the ranks of Boston's organized crime scene thanks to a combination of cunning, ruthlessness, a little help from his politically connected brother, Billy, and a LOT of help from the FBI. Whitey's top informant status, and the degree to which he corrupted his handler, Special Agent John Connolly, allowed him to get away with murder after murder, and run one criminal racket after another with impunity. For nearly two decades the FBI protected the most dangerous man in Boston in order to take down other people who were far less threatening to the general public. Why? And how did this happen?

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