The USP Coleman II penitentiary in central Florida has long been known as a safe place for government informants and other marked men in the federal prison system.
But when James “Whitey” Bulger arrived in 2014, Charles Lockett, the warden at the time, wasn’t going to take any chances. He said he kept Bulger away from the general population for six months and talked to the most influential inmates to make sure they wouldn’t make a move on the elderly Boston mobster.
“He’s an old guy, but gangsters don’t forget,” said Lockett, who is now retired.
After four years at Coleman, Bulger, 89, was transferred to a prison in West Virginia with a much more violent reputation. Less than 12 hours later, the wheelchair-bound crime boss was found beaten to death.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
For more on this story, go to NBC News.
