In this episode, retired agents Rich Teahan and Scott Garriola review the capture and debriefing of James “Whitey” Bulger, a Boston organized crime boss and long-time FBI Top Ten Fugitive, who had been on the run with his girlfriend Catherine Greig. At the time, Rich was the head of the task force that had been looking for him for sixteen years, and Scott was the legendary FBI fugitive hunter who ran down the tip that said Bulger and Grieg were hiding in plain sight in Santa Monica, California.
Bulger was an informant for the FBI for several years. His FBI agent handler, John Connelly, was charged and convicted for revealing to Bulger that he was about to be indicted for RICO by the Massachusetts State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Federal prosecutors later filed a superseding indictment and in addition to the initial racketeering charges, Bulger was charged with nineteen murders.
Rich Teahan and co-author Bob Ward wrote Face to Face with Whitey Bulger: An FBI Agent’s Account of Capturing and Debriefing Boston’s Most Notorious Gangster, Rich’s firsthand account of the high-stakes capture of Bulger which slammed shut the 16-year-long international odyssey to find him. But it was not the end of the story. The true crime book brings us face to face with Bulger during an epic six-hour debrief on board a Justice Department jet as it returned him to Boston.
Teahan details the only interview Bulger ever granted to law enforcement, revealing his ruthless and often paranoid worldview. Chronicling his personal quest to confront Bulger, Teahan lifts the veil on the backbreaking, sometimes anguishing effort to bring one of America’s most brutal organized crime bosses to justice.
This episode should be considered Part 3 of the James “Whitey” Bulger case review series. If you haven’t already, please listen to the prior episodes covering the fugitive investigation, as well as the investigation of former FBI agent John Connolly:
282: Phil Torsney and Tommy MacDonald – Whitey Bulger Fugitive Hunt (Part 1)
283: Phil Torsney and Tommy MacDonald – Whitey Bulger Fugitive Hunt (Part 2)
288: John Tamm – John Connolly, FBI Boston Betrayal
Special Agent (Retired)
Richard Teahan
12/1991 – 8/2017
Retired agent Rich Teahan served in the FBI for over 25 years. He spent the first ten years of his Bureau career in the New Haven Division, where he worked fugitive and violent crime cases and was eventually assigned to the Connecticut Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force. He then accepted a 2-year assignment to the executive protection detail for Director Mueller out of the Washington Field Office (WFO).
He was next assigned to the National Joint Terrorism Task Force as a GS-14 supervisor, where he shared actionable intel with 39 other agencies such as NYPD, CIA, DCIS, WDC Police, NSA, etc. During this time. Rich also took a one-year paid sabbatical to earn a Master’s in Military Studies and National Security from the United States Marine Corps University Command and Staff College. He later requested an office of preference transfer to the Boston Division in 2006, where he supervised the Bulger Fugitive Task Force and ran a Gang Squad until he retired.
After his retirement, he took a job as the Director of Security for Boston Garden for two years. He left for a rewarding but less demanding position as a civilian investigator with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts, conducting internal investigations with inmates and correctional officers.
Special Agent (Retired)
Scott Garriola
6/1988 – 9/2019
Retired agent Scott Garriola served in the FBI for over 31 years. He was assigned to the New Orleans Division, where he worked on public corruption, Italian organized crime, and drug investigations until he was transferred to the Los Angeles Division, where he was initially assigned to an OC squad.
Later in his career, Scott moved to a Violent Crimes Squad where he primarily worked fugitive cases or “88s” (FBI case category). He made over 2,000 arrests, and as the lead agent, was responsible for the apprehension of 6 fugitives on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List, including the infamous Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger.
He has worked as an FBI consultant on several television shows, such as FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, Clarice and All Rise. You can contact Scott through his LinkedIn profile. He was also a guest on two previous FBI Case File Review episodes:
232: Scott Garriola – Chippendales, Murder-For-Hire
239: TV Industry Tips – Lessons Learned From Retired Agents Producing, Writing, and Consulting
The following are links to articles and videos about the capture of James “Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig:
Boston.com – 6/21/2011: TV ads are latest tactic in hunt for Bulger
New York Times – 6/21/2011: Wanted: Hygienist (and Her Gangster Pal)
Los Angeles Times – 6/28/2011: Whitey Bulger kept cash hidden in apartment and traveled frequently
CBS 60 Minutes – 2001: Catching Whitey Bulger; Mob Hitman; An FBI Agent and the Mafia
CNN – 10/30/2018: 6 surprising facts about Whitey Bulger
People Magazine – 8/22/2022: 3 Men Indicted for 2018 Killing of Mob Boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger
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