The moment fugitive Whitey Bulger brazenly posed as a tourist in Alcatraz... where he had once been a prisoner
- Mob boss dressed in jailbird garb and posed for photos during 1990s visit
- He was a prison of Alcatraz from 1959 to 1963
- He and girlfriend Catherine Greig were 'friendly' but kept to themselves
- One neighbour even said she would miss the couple
These are the brazen images of James 'Whitey' Bulger visiting his old haunt Alcatraz - just weeks into his 16-year run from the FBI.
One picture, taken around 1995, shows the most wanted gangster smiling with his 'moll' Teresa Stanley on a tour of the notorious prison where Whitey was incarcerated from 1959 to 1963.
In one incredible image Bulger and Stanley even donned prison stripes outside 'The Rock' for a souvenir snap, both stencilled 'Property of Alcatraz.'
The candid holiday snaps - which show the pair visiting Britain's Tower of London, dining in Paris and posing with the Stanley Cup - will embarrass the FBI who for years have been criticised for not trying hard enough to catch Bulger.
Jail birds: This Souvenir photo of James 'Whitey' Bulger and Teresa Stanley shows the pair dressed in mock prison uniform while on a visit to Alcatraz. It is thought to have been taken while he was on the run from the FBI
The Alcatraz pictures are thought to have been taken in January 1995, just weeks after he fled Boston on a tip off that the FBI were about to arrest him.
The family friend who provided the pictures to the New York Post said the fugitive pair took time out from dodging the law to visit the site of Bulger's previous imprisonment almost 40 years before.
Travel: A photo showing James 'Whitey' Bulger's expired passport. The previously unseen pictures show Bulger lived a fine life while on the run from the FBI
The law finally caught up with him last week when the now 81-year-old and his long-term girlfriend Catherine Greig were arrested in Santa Monica.
Bulger is charged with 19 murders, extortion, money laundering and other crimes; if convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty.
The incredible images from Alcatraz show just how confident he was about not getting caught.
They will lead many to speculate how he may have gone to visit his old cell, where he was locked up for four years on federal armed robbery charges.
Wanted and on the run, Whitey became a master of evasion by adopting an unassuming lifestyle, limiting his social contact to small talk and adhering to a code of silence from the mob life he left behind.
When federal agents tracked him to his lair last week, it was only after targeting the one part of his past that Bulger didn't leave behind - his girlfriend Catherine.
By all accounts, the two did little to ever arouse suspicion, posing as two retirees holed up in a bland white 1970s apartment complex in Santa Monica amid other buildings of the same era.
Summer holiday: James 'Whitey' Bulger and girlfriend Teresa Stanley are pictured outside the Tower of London, England. Bulger was caught last week after 16 years on the run
Cordon Bleu: Bulger is seen here with Teresa Stanley at dinner in Paris, France. The fugitive was a master at evading capture, while also living the high life
Although Bulger was believed to have millions of dollars stashed in secret accounts, and investigators found $800,000 hidden in the apartment, the couple didn't live lavishly.
They paid $1,145 cash several days in advance each month for a rent-controlled unit, while newer neighbours paid more than twice as much. Greig shopped at a 99-cent store.
Cowboy: This undated photo of Bulger was taken at an 'old time' studio while on holiday with Teresa Stanley
Occasionally, they splurged, even while remaining discreet.
Andrew Turner, the general manager of Michael's, recognised pictures of the fugitives this week as the couple who dined occasionally at table No 23 at the upscale institution.
He had a record of them paying their $190 tab in cash for a meal that included Grey Goose vodka cocktails, foie gras, steak and lobster, topped off by wine, in September 2009 - the month Bulger turned 80.
The couple kept to themselves and were unassuming, Turner recalled.
'This guy was just nice, mild and meek, milquetoast in a little apartment in Santa Monica,' said Bill Keefer, a retired U.S. marshal who supervised the witness protection program in Los Angeles, Hawaii and Long Island, New York.
Family: Undated photo of Bulger with his younger brothers, William Bulger and Jackie Bulger
Fun: Bulger is seen here on an Island holiday in this undated photo
'This guy should have been a supervisor with the marshal's witness protection programme. He did an outstanding job, the louse.'
Neighbours of the couple said they stuck close to home.
Greig was the more outgoing of the two while Bulger was sometimes cranky and reclusive. Barbara Gluck, a tenant down the hall, described Greig as sweet and lovely, Bulger not so.
'It was like she was hanging on to a time-bomb,' Gluck said. 'At one point, she said, "he has a rage issue".'
Buddies: Bulger with Chris Nilan, formerly of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, with the Stanley Cup. Nilan was the son in law of Bulger's longtime companion Teresa Stanley
Others said the couple went out of their way to ingratiate themselves while also maintaining a distance.
'They were good neighbours,' said Catalina Schlank, 88. 'I will miss them.'
Bulger's wealth helped him maintain independence from family or former criminal allies who might have given away his location, said retired FBI agent Scott Bakken, who worked the Bulger case for a short time in 2002.
'Here you have somebody who is far more sophisticated than some 18-year-old who killed someone in a drive-by,' Bakken said.
'To be a successful fugitive you have to cut all contacts from your previous life. He had the means and kept a low profile.'
Dress up:Undated photo of Bulger with his brother William, former Senate President in Massachusetts. Bulger was posing in his brother's cap and gown
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