After walking through the true story of Whitey Bulger’s journey and motives as an FBI informant,Black Masshighlights the legal repercussions he and others associated with him end up facing. Loosely based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’sBlack Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal,Black Massis a biographical crime drama that begins in the year 1975 byintroducing Johnny Depp as the real-life leaderof the Winter Hill Gang, James “Whitey” Bulger. When the Angiulo Brothers' gang challenges his supremacy, Whitey’s long-time friend, FBI agent John Connolly, offers him a deal.
Connolly (played by Joel Edgerton) asks him to become an informant for the FBI and help him take down the Angiulo Brothers' organization. Although initially apprehensive, Bulger agrees to join forces with him. However, as the movie progresses, things take a grim turn when Whitey starts misusing the protection the FBI offers him and leverages it to rise from strength to strength in the criminal world. Connolly’s consistent efforts to protect Whitey and Whitey’s growing rap sheet eventually lead to a climactic ending inBlack Mass, where everyone involved in the deal faces serious consequences.
What Happened To The Real Whitey Bulger After Black Mass' Ending
The Real Whitey Bulger Was Ultimately Arrested
AsBlack Mass' ending highlights, Whitey Bulger was warned that the FBI would make arrests around the Christmas season. Therefore, he left for Boston on Jun 04, 2025, with his common-law wife, Theresa Stanley. Bulger remained a fugitive in the years that followed andevenended up on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Although he was sighted multiple times, and the FBI even visited bookstores in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, with the hope of finding him,he remained at large for nearly sixteen years.
After a long trial, Bulger was ultimately sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, with five additional years.
However, he was ultimately arrested on August 10, 2025, at the age of 81, after authorities received an anonymous tip from Anna Björnsdóttir, an Icelandic model and actress. To ensure he does not get away, the FBI used a ruse to get him out of his apartment. Once that was out of the way, they arrested him “without incident.” He was ultimately charged with money laundering, extortion, conspiracy to commit murder, and narcotics distribution. Apart from finding many fake IDs in his apartment, the FBI also discovered 30 firearms and over $800,000 in cash.
When he was finally arraigned in federal court in July 2011, he pleaded not guilty to 48 charges. After a long trial, Bulger was ultimately sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment, along with five more years. In addition, assets worth $25.2 million were also ordered to be seized from him, and he had to pay $19.5 million in restitution. After being sent to Coleman II United States Penitentiary in Sumterville, Florida, he was moved to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City before finally being transferred to the Federal Penitentiary in West Virginia.
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Over the course of his sentence, Bulger’s health gradually declined due to lack of exercise. A day after being sent to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City to the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia, in October 2018,Bulger was found dead at the age of 89. According to reports (viaNY Times), he was beaten to death by multiple inmates and “was unrecognizable” when the authorities found him.
Every Main Character’s Fate In Black Mass' Ending Explained
Nearly Every Character Associated With Bulger Faces Legal Consequences
As the textual epilogue inBlack Mass' ending reveals, Kevin Weeks (played by Jesse Plemons) was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi (Rory Cochrane) got a life sentence, while Johnny Martorano (W. Earl Brown) was sentenced to twelve years in prison. Since John Morris was responsible for exposing Connolly and Whitey’s relationship to The Boston Globe,he was granted immunity after he agreed to testify against Connolly.
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Whitey Bulger’s brother, William Bulger, played by Benedict Cumberbatch inBlack Mass, became the president of the University of Massachusetts. However, after his communications with his brother came to the limelight during a congressional hearing, the negative publicity forced him to step back from the presidency of the University of Massachusetts. John Connolly received a 40-year sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder.
Why Morris Exposed Connolly & Whitey’s Relationship To The Boston Globe
Morris Was Afraid Of Facing The Repercussions Of His Involvement
When John Connolly initially proposes the idea of hiring Whitey as their informant inBlack Mass' initial moments, Charles McGuire is suspicious about his underlying motives. However, John Morris unanimously supports his decision. In the movie’s final arc, however,Morris starts fearing prosecutionafter Wyshak and McGuire investigate and learn the truth about Whitey’s relationship with Connolly as his informant. Therefore, in a desperate attempt to protect himself, Morris gives an off-the-record interview to The Boston Globe, in which he discloses how the FBI has been protecting Bulger.
Why Whitey Agreed To Become The FBI’s Informant Despite Initial Reservations
Whitey Understood How It Would Benefit Him
When Connolly first approaches Whitey with the offer of complying with the FBI, he refuses to become “a rat.” However, when things take a heated turn between his gang and the Angiulos' organization, and the Angiulos brothers also get one of his men killed,Whitey realizes he might need the FBI deal to overpower the brothers' gang. He also understands that the FBI’s protection will ultimately give him the freedom to expand his criminal empire without worrying too much about how it could potentially affect his gang members and family.
Black Mass' Changes To Whitey Bulger’s True Story Explained
The Movie Makes Some Minor Changes To The Real Story
AlthoughBlack Massaccurately portrays many aspects of the true story, it introduces several fictional elements to increase the impact of its crime drama. For instance,Kevin Bacon’s Charles McGuire from the movie is not based on a real person. In a story arc from the film, Bulger even threatens John Connolly’s wife, Marianne, after she grows increasingly suspicious about her husband’s relationship with the gang leader. There are no real accounts of such incidents, and Marianne Connoly reportedly filed for divorce in January 1982.
Johnny Depp tried to meet Bulger to prepare for his role inBlack Mass, but his request was declined. He eventually consulted Bulger’s attorney, Jay Carney, who gave him relevant feedback.
Some other aspects of the film, including the part that mentions Bulger being treated as a lab rat for the government-sanctioned LSD-testing program, are surprisingly true. The film also accurately states that Bulger spent three years in the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary when he was younger. As shown inBlack Mass, Whitey also had a son, Douglas Cyr, who passed away at six from Reye’s Syndrome. Lindsey Cyr (played by Dakota JohnsoninBlack Mass) even confirmed (viaBoston Globe) that Whitey “was colder” after his son’s demise.
Black Mass
Black Mass is a crime drama biography based on the true story of one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. History, Whitey Bulger. When Bulger’s turf is encroached on by a rival mafia family, the Angiulo brothers, the death of one of his own mafia family members leads him to join his long-time friend and become an informant for the FBI to exact his revenge - and push the Angiulo’s out of his turf.
