bulger
most wanted poster for FBI Most Wanted fugitive and accused Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, is seen marked "CAPTURED" on a wall with other fugitive wanted posters at FBI headquarters in Washington, June 23, 2011. On the run for 17 years, Bulger and his longtime girlfriend were finally caught in California by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday. FBI

Former Bostom crime boss who was one of America's Most Wanted, is finally caught in California's Santa Monica area after being on the run since late 1994.

Bulger is a former leader of Winter Hill Gang, an Irish-American criminal group, and is wanted for 19 murders, conspiracy, extortion, drug dealing, and money laundering.

Bulger had served as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a controversial arrangement that allowed him to continue his criminal activities.

The 81-year-old fugitive and his longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig, 60, were apprehended outside of their apartment without incident Wednesday. Agents also found a stash of cash and firearms during a search of their apartment.

The case had long stumped authorities, but a fresh 30-second TV campaign that launched only on Tuesday to find Greig quickly paid off with a helpful tip by an unidentified person.

Bulger, who was found in poor health, will face life in prison if convicted, according to U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz at a news conference.

We've gone a long way to bringing justice to the families of the victims, Ortiz said.

A scandal involving a top FBI agent who acted as Bulger's informant and was later sentenced, had thwarted his capture and embarrassed the FBI. The crime boss' story even inspiredt the film The Departed.

Bulger has been featured on America's Most Wanted over a dozen times, with a 2 million dollar reward for information leader to Bulger's arrest, along with $100,000 for information on Greig.

Fbi