# Turning in Whitey Bulger **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359 "2011-10-11T23:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/1 "2011-10-11T23:18:29Z")
Can someone please explain to me why [the media is actually reporting](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/10/earlyshow/main20118026.shtml) the identity of the person who turned in Whitey Bulger, including where she lives? Even if we assume that doing so does not put her life in jeopardy, this just strikes me as being incredibly bad form, and the sort of thing that would make me very reluctant to be a tipster. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/2 "2011-10-12T01:10:09Z")
Perhaps she made a point of getting her name out there. Some people are bonkers about getting their fifteen minutes (seconds?) of fame. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/3 "2011-10-12T14:23:40Z")
It doesn’t give her current address, just that she lives in Iceland. The fact that she was a former Miss Iceland is interesting - if it had been just some unknown schlub they may not have reported anything. And the press isn’t in the business of protecting other people’s secrets. I doubt Whitey himself will be in a position to get revenge on her, and I don’t think he has many former associates left who would go to the trouble. So that leaves Billy. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/4 "2011-10-12T14:41:12Z")
:: has difficulty taking someone named “Whitey Bulger” seriously :: No wonder he turned to organized crime. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/5 "2011-10-12T15:57:59Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > :: has difficulty taking someone named “Whitey Bulger” seriously :: > > No wonder he turned to organized crime. Don’t sleep on Whitey.. That dude is one of the baddest gangsters in the history of American organized crime.. I remember when he “won” the Boston Lottery.. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/6 "2011-10-12T17:30:18Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > :: has difficulty taking someone named “Whitey Bulger” seriously :: Reminds me of the decline of the notorious [Boodle Gang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boodle_Gang) > [@](#): > > The Boodle moniker failed to instill fear among rival gangs. [It’s possible that line is the work of a Wikipedia prankster.] ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/7 "2011-10-12T18:19:43Z")
I think that the FBI “outed” the Icelandic woman “informant”, becase they wanted to divert attention to the fact that they ignored several previous reports by other informants. I also think that the FBI will repress/retain lots of information about Whitey’s “exile”-becuase it will turn out that he had assistance in staying ahead of the law. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/8 "2011-10-12T18:46:03Z")
Have Wally or The Beaver commented on this? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/9 "2011-10-13T10:39:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Have Wally or The Beaver commented on this? Actually, they have. They both agreed that the woman was a rat, rat, rat! hh ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/10 "2011-10-14T00:00:02Z")
Well, apparently the FBI is vaguely concerned about her name being released, not for her own safety, but because of how it may impact other cases. [Link.](http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2011-10-12-72742.113116-FBI-concerned-for-Whitey-Bulger-tipster.html) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/11 "2011-10-14T01:16:41Z")
From the article: _It was Miss Iceland 1974 who was the tipster who collected the $2 million reward for information to the arrest four months ago of notorious alleged Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. … She now lives an ocean away in Iceland._ What I want to know is: did she have to pay taxes on those $2 million? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-in-whitey-bulger/599359/12 "2011-10-14T01:17:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > It doesn’t give her current address, just that she lives in Iceland. But doesn’t Iceland have only one village with about 1000 people in it? She couldn’t be too hard to track down. 😉