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Phil Castinetti, who runs New England memorabilia shop
Sportsworld, said he put the jumpsuit up for sale after buying
it last year from a man who claimed to be Bulger's former
cellmate.
"He said Whitey gave it to him and signed it saying 'Get your
life started, you'll get some good money for this,'" Castinetti
said.
The auction of the jumpsuit, which runs until Oct. 4, was timed
to coincide with the release of film Black Mass, starring Johnny
Depp, about Bulger's time in South Boston, Castinetti said.
Bulger was convicted in 2013 of charges including committing or
ordering 11 murders in the 1970s and 1980s while running the
widely feared Winter Hill crime gang.
John Birtwell, a spokesman for the Plymouth County Sheriff's
office, said he believed the jumpsuit was not authentic because
Bulger had no contact with other prisoners during his time in
prison during his trial and because the signature on the suit
includes the word "Whitey," a moniker the gangster despised.
"The only time he had to interact with other individuals is if
he was being escorted to medical to have his blood pressure
checked. So, I'm about 99.4 percent sure it's a fake," Birtwell
said, adding he thought Castinelli's auction was "pretty
deplorable".
During trial, Bulger's corrupt relationship with federal agents
and prosecutors in Boston was revealed. They turned a blind eye
to his crime in exchange for information about the Italian
mafia.
Bulger fled Boston in 1994, spending 16 years on the lam, before
his capture in California in 2011. He is now serving two life
sentences.
(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Sandra Maler)
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