Despite being derided as "trash" and a "glorified yard sale," the belongings of infamous mob kingpin James "Whitey" Bulger fetched more than $109,000 at auction Saturday, the Boston Globe reports. According to Bloomberg, the US Marshals Service was selling the items—seized during Bulger's capture in 2011 after 16 years on the run—to benefit his victims. More than 250 "mafia history enthusiasts" and others turned out to bid. The items included a rat-shaped pen holder (fetched $3,600), the white bucket hat Bulger was wearing when he was arrested ($6,400), the newspaper he was reading right before his capture ($500), and a replica of the 1986 Stanley Cup Champions ring ($9,100). That ring was the only belonging Bulger fought with authorities to keep.
But the auction also included more mundane items, Reuters reports. A punching bag, a floor safe, books on WWII with Bulger's handwritten notes, and a collection of sneakers ("You can walk in Whitey's shoes," says the auctioneer). A "lumpy old couch" was bought for $35. Left out of the auction were Bulger's toiletries, underwear, and Nazi memorabilia. The money brought in at the auction, combined with $800,000 in cash Bulger had on him during his arrest, is still far short of the $25 million he owes his victims. Nevertheless, authorities were glad to be rid of his belongings. "We hope this will finally be the end of the Whitey Bulger saga here in Massachusetts and for the city of Boston," one official tells Bloomberg. The 86-year-old former mob boss is currently serving two life sentences. (More Whitey Bulger stories.)
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