Anna Bjornsdottir_Beauty Queen Gets $2M Reward in Bulger Case
Anna Bjornsdottir_Beauty Queen Gets $2M Reward in Bulger Case_ We now know who the anonymous tipster was that helped police capture James “Whitey” Bulger a few months back.
A former prosecutor says the public naming of Anna Bjornsdottir could put her in grave danger.
The Icelandic woman is a former Miss Iceland who had become friends with Bulger’s girlfriend after the two women took an interest in a local stray cat in California. Bjornsdottir reportedly snagged the $2 million reward for the information that led to Bulger’s apprehension and arrest.
A former prosecutor told the Boston Herald, the newspaper that published the tipster’s name, that the outing of Bjornsdottir could put her in grave danger, saying the leak has a “chilling effect” on other potential government witnesses.“They can’t guarantee her 100 percent safety going forward,” said former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan. “It’s unnecessary publicity and unnecessary harassment.”
“There is a huge risk to the (tipster) program, generally, to be able to cultivate informants if their identification is at risk,” Sullivan said. “It has a chilling effect.”
Bjornsdottir, who won the coveted Miss Iceland title back in 1974, split her time between Iceland and Santa Monica, where the fugitive couple was living at the time of their capture.
Bjornsdottir reportedly identified the pair to police after seeing an FBI campaign that highlighted Bulger’s girlfriend, Catherine Greig.
After receiving the hot tip from Anna Bjornsdottir, authorities arrested Bulger and Greig at their Santa Monica apartment building in June.
In September, the FBI stated it had paid $2.1 million to “more than one individual” for tips that led to the arrests of Bulger and Greig.
Bjornsdottir is now a 57-year-old yoga instructor and graphic designer who moved to Southern California in the late 1970s and has appeared in several cosmetics commercials.
Bulger, the former leader of the infamous Winter Hill Gang, was on the run from police for over 16 years until he and Greig were arrested. Bulger has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from 19 murders.
Greig has pleaded not guilty to one charge of conspiracy to harbor and conceal a fugitive.
source:blippitt
