TIMELINE: The case against James 'Whitey' Bulger

BOSTON — This is a timeline of the case made against James "Whitey" Bulger that sent him to prison for a life sentence.

March 21, 2014: The costs of defending Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger have topped more than $3 million, according to documents filed in federal court Friday.

March 7, 2014: A federal judge has approved a second taxpayer-funded lawyer to help with Bulger's appeal.

Feb. 27, 2014: James "Whitey" Bulger's attorney, Hank Brennan, has requested James Budreau to be appointed as co-counsel in Bulger's appeal.

Jan. 10, 2014: Bulger has been moved to a penitentiary in Tucson, Ariz.

Bulger attorney J.W. Carney reportedly delivered letters between his client and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig. Carney says both Greig and Bulger sobbed as they read the letters.

Dec. 17, 2013: Bulger is moved to a federal transfer center in Oklahoma.

"Whitey" Bulger has been ordered to pay $6 million to the family of slain Oklahoma businessman Roger Wheeler, although it's unclear whether they'll ever see the money.

Nov. 27, 2013: Bulger was moved from Plymouth County Correctional Facility to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.

Nov. 21, 2013: Bulger is listed as "In Transit" on Bureau of Prisons website.

Nov. 20, 2013: Judge Denise Casper filed her judgement of conviction Wednesday and Bulger's defense team immediately filed an appeal.

Nov. 14, 2013: Judge Denise Casper sentences Bulger to two consecutive life sentences plus five years, following the prosecution's recommendation and the sentencing guidelines for each count Bulger was tried on. Casper described the crimes Bulger committed as "unfathomable," and also ordered that Bulger must pay $19.5 million in restitution to the families of all 19 murder victims, including the ones found "not proven." Bulger and his lawyers have 14 days to file an appeal from the time Casper files her judgement of conviction. His lawyers say they plan to appeal.

Nov. 13, 2013: The families of people killed by Bulger and his gang finally got the chance to tell him how his long reign of terror damaged their lives, calling him a "terrorist," a "punk" and even "Satan."

Nov. 12, 2013: The Davis family withdraws their petition for appointment of special investigator and requests the court adopt the Government's settlement proposal with regard to forfeited funds.

Nov. 8, 2013: The government says it plans to divide Bulger's assets between the families of his victims.

Nov. 7, 2013: The government has requested two life sentences, plus 5 years for Bulger. Sentencing is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Oct. 11, 2013: Federal prosecutors are pressing a judge to let relatives of the 19 people gangster James "Whitey" Bulger was charged with killing make victim impact statements when he is sentenced next month.

Oct. 10, 2013: Stephen Rakes' family files a claim to Bulger's assets.

Oct. 3, 2013: A man convicted of a 1980 murder is asking a Massachusetts court to order a new trial, claiming he has new evidence that gangster James "Whitey" Bulger helped frame him.

Oct. 2, 2013: RadarOnline.com published a letter allegedly written by Bulger in which he lambasted the family of alleged murder victim Debra Davis, saying they would take money over seeing her alive again.

Sept. 10, 2013: Federal prosecutors and lawyers for gangster James "Whitey" Bulger are due in court to discuss Bulger's upcoming sentencing hearing on racketeering charges, including his participation in 11 murders. Bulger was convicted last month of racketeering, as well as numerous extortion and money-laundering charges. Judge Denise Casper has scheduled a 3-day sentencing hearing in November, when family members of many of the alleged victims are expected to describe the impact of the killings.

Sept. 5, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger opens up about his upcoming sentencing and the love of his life, Catherine Greig, in a new jailhouse letter. In a recent letter obtained by Radar Online, Bulger said "If I met Catherine at a younger age, I would have had a better life. She was the best thing that ever happened to me," adding that the 16 years on the run were the happiest years of his life. Bulger even reportedly touched on his upcoming sentencing in November. Bulger writes that he expects the worst is yet to come, but welcomes the peace.

Aug. 19, 2013: A man is selling what he claims is the equipment used to tape phone conversations of convicted mob killer James "Whitey" Bulger. The Boston Herald reports that John Reznikoff, of Westport, Conn., has three listings on eBay for what he claims is authentic equipment.

Aug. 12, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger has been found guilty of all, but one count in his racketeering trial. 

Aug. 8, 2013: Jurors in the Boston racketeering trial of reputed crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger have resumed deliberations for a third day. The federal jury went back into a room to continue deliberations Thursday after asking some legal questions a day earlier. On Wednesday, jurors asked if they had to make unanimous findings on each of the 33 criminal acts included in a racketeering charge. Those 33 acts include 19 murders.

Aug. 7, 2013: After five questions and an afternoon of high drama, jurors went another day without returning a verdict in the case against James "Whitey" Bulger.

Aug. 6, 2013: Jurors in the trial of James "Whitey" Bulger have begun deliberations in a sweeping racketeering indictment that accuses the reputed crime boss of participating in 19 murders during a two-decade reign over Boston's underworld. The jury began deliberations Tuesday morning after hearing instructions from Judge Denise Casper.

Aug. 5, 2013: A prosecutor called reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger "one of the most vicious, violent and calculating criminals ever to walk the streets of Boston" as he urged a jury Monday to convict Bulger of charges that include 19 killings committed during the 1970s and '80s. Federal prosecutor Fred Wyshak, who pursued a case against Bulger for more than two decades, recounted gruesome details of the killings. Among the victims, he told the jury, were two men who were chained to chairs for hours, interrogated, then shot in the head, two women who were strangled, and two men who died in a hail of gunfire as they left a South Boston restaurant.

Aug. 2, 2013: After months of speculation, the answer to the question, "Will Whitey testify?" was answered when his defense team rested without calling the reputed mobster to the stand. Defense attorneys called two witnesses and read portions of a deposition given by the mother of one of the people James "Whitey" Bulger is accused of killing before resting their case Friday. Bulger said he involuntarily made the decision not to testify and said he felt like he didn't receive an adequate defense, calling the trial a "sham."

-In a move that no one expected Friday, James "Whitey" Bulger agreed to surrender more than $800,000 recovered from his Santa Monica apartment to families of some of his alleged victims. Before the jury entered the courtroom, Bulger's attorney J.W. Carney said the reputed mobster would be willing to surrender the $822,198 to the families of Brian Halloran and Michael Donahue. The Halloran and Donahue families had been awarded a combined $8.5 million in 2007 after a judge ruled the FBI was responsible for the deaths of the men. The judgment was overturned in 2011 by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court after the court found the lawsuits were filed after the statute of limitations had run out.

Aug. 1, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team is expected to call more former FBI officials to testify, as the question of whether the reputed gangster will take the stand himself remains hanging. Prosecutors pushed Wednesday for an answer about whether the 83-year-old would testify in his own defense, saying he's had time to think about it. But it didn't appear they got an answer before court adjourned.

July 31, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team, once again, avoided answering whether or not their client will take the stand in his own defense at his racketeering trial Wednesday. Before testimony started for the day Wednesday, prosecutors argued that they had a right to know whether or not Bulger would testify. But after the defense spent a full day with just two witnesses, attorney J.W. Carney said he was behind schedule and still didn't know if Bulger would testify.

July 30, 2013: The judge in the trial of James "Whitey" Bulger has denied the defense team's motion to sequester the jury during deliberations. "We have to assume the jury is following my instructions to not watch media coverage," Judge Casper said.

July 29, 2013: Lawyers for reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger have kicked off his defense by calling a former FBI supervisor who testified that Bulger told him he was not an FBI informant. Robert Fitzpatrick of the FBI's Boston office says he was given the task of assessing Bulger to see if he was providing the FBI with useful information on the Mafia. Fitzpatrick said Monday that when he met with Bulger in 1981, he repeatedly changed the subject, "played the tough guy," and at one point, denied being an informant.

July 26, 2013: Prosecutors plan to wrap up their case against reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger following testimony from two final witnesses in his racketeering trial. The government could rest its case Friday after six weeks of testimony. Bulger's lawyers are expected to begin presenting up to 16 witnesses after the prosecution rests.

July 25, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's former partner in crime has finished testifying after six days on the witness stand in Bulger's racketeering trial. Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi's cross-examination by Bulger's lawyer ended Thursday. Flemmi acknowledged that the government had allowed him to keep some properties under a 2003 plea agreement that also spared him death penalty prosecutions for murders in Oklahoma and Florida.

July 24, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's former partner will be back on the witness stand for a fifth day to testify about killings and other crimes Bulger is accused of committing during the 1970s and '80s. Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi is due back in court Wednesday. One of the prosecution's star witnesses, he has been undergoing a relentless cross-examination by Bulger's lawyer.

July 23, 2013: The former partner of reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger is accusing Bulger of being a pedophile. Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi is testifying Tuesday at Bulger's racketeering trial. Bulger's lawyer was pressing Flemmi about his own admission that he engaged in oral sex with his teenage stepdaughter, Deborah Hussey. Flemmi testified that Bulger strangled Hussey after she started using drugs, getting arrested and dropping their names when she got in trouble.

July 22, 2013: The brother of a woman allegedly killed by James "Whitey" Bulger exploded in anger after Bulger's former partner identified him as a drug user and informant. The outburst came during testimony Monday by Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi at Bulger's racketeering trial. Flemmi had been testifying about the 1981 killing of Debra Davis. She had been Flemmi's girlfriend, and Flemmi says Bulger strangled her after Flemmi told her that he and Bulger were FBI informants. Flemmi testified that her brother Steve Davis had been an informant. When he told jurors that, Steve Davis jumped up and shouted across the courtroom, and Flemmi quickly tried to correct himself, saying he meant to identify another Davis brother. Flemmi also apologized. Steve Davis shouted an obscenity and called Flemmi a liar.

July 19, 2013: A law enforcement source told FOX 25 on Friday that Stephen Rakes' death is being investigated as suspicious. Rakes, who was on the witness list for the racketeering trial of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, was found dead Wednesday afternoon in Lincoln, Mass.

July 19, 2013: Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, the once-loyal partner of reputed Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, has recounted multiple killings he says Bulger was involved in, either as a triggerman or a driving force. Flemmi returned to the witness stand Friday after a brief appearance Thursday. In rapid-fire succession, Flemmi described Bulger's alleged role in a string of killings during the 1970s when both men were leaders of the Winter Hill Gang.

July 18, 2013: Stephen "Stippo" Rakes, a man who was on the witness list in the James "Whitey" Bulger case, was found dead in Lincoln. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan's office says the body of the 59-year-old Rakes, of Quincy, was discovered at about 1:30 p.m. in the area of Mill Street.

July 18, 2013: The former partner of James "Whitey" Bulger is telling jurors that the two were FBI informants for more than a decade as they ran a feared gang in South Boston. Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi began testifying Thursday in Bulger's racketeering trial. He says they gave information to the FBI for about 15 years beginning in 1975. The 83-year-old Bulger is accused of participating in 19 killings during the 1970s and '80s. Flemmi, who's 79, pleaded guilty to 10 murders and agreed to testify against Bulger. He is serving a life sentence. The two hadn't seen each other since 1994.

July 17, 2013: A former U.S. customs agent says a man James "Whitey" Bulger is accused of murdering was cooperating with law enforcement before he disappeared in 1984. Bulger is accused of shooting John McIntyre after learning that he was talking to authorities. Donald DeFago testified at Bulger's racketeering trial Wednesday that McIntyre described drug smuggling and activities including a failed attempt to ship weapons to the Irish Republican Army.

July 16, 2013: The former business partner of John Callahan said James "Whitey" Bulger pointed a machine gun at his groin and demanded $400,000 during a harrowing ordeal at Triple O's night club after Callahan's death. Michael Solimando was called to the stand on Tuesday. He testified that he met Stephen Flemmi, Edward "Brian" Halloran and John Callahan through his sister's friend James Martorano. Solimando said it was Callahan that he developed a friendship with, eventually becoming business partners with him on a building investment in Boston.

-James "Whitey" Bulger's lawyers have submitted a new, pared-down witness list for his racketeering trial. Bulger's lawyers had submitted a list with the names of more than 80 potential witnesses. Their new list, filed early Tuesday, contains 37 names. It includes a man who was wrongly convicted in a gangland slaying because of FBI corruption.

July 15, 2013: A retired medical examiner provided in-depth detail about how each of the alleged victims of James "Whitey" Bulger died in court Monday. Dr. Richard Evans, the former chief medical examiner for Massachusetts, described gunshot wounds for nearly all of Bulger's alleged victims. The most brutal descriptions came when Evans described the deaths of William O'Brian and Brian Halloran, saying the two suffered around 20 gunshot wounds apiece.

-James "Whitey" Bulger's former hitman is preparing to take the stand and experts say it could deal a big blow to the defense. Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi was Bulger's righthand man. He is currently serving a life sentence for 10 murders, including his role in the death of his former girlfriend, Debra Davis. Flemmi is expected to implicate Bulger in all of those killings and testify that Bulger was a federal informant. Flemmi could be on the stand as soon as Wednesday.

July 12, 2013: An emotional round of testimony at the James "Whitey" Bulger trial Friday as the widow of Michael Donahue and brother of Debra Davis took the stand. Patricia Donahue detailed how she last saw her husband alive just before Mother's Day in 1982. Donahue said she was making dinner when reports about a double-shooting in Boston's seaport area came on television. Donahue said that she thought she recognized her vehicle at the scene. It wasn't until hours later that police took her to a hospital where her husband had died.

July 12, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger watched the Bruins win Game 7 in Vancouver before he was arrested, according to thebostonliberal.com. An FBI agent told the website that agents tailed Bulger for several weeks before making an arrest. While they were following him, he drove 20 plus hours from Santa Monica to Vancouver and scored the Stanley Cup ticket. One week later, he was arrested in California.

July 9, 2013: The man who James Bulger's attorney described as being closer to the reputed mob boss than his own business partner recounted grisly details of the murders Bulger is accused of committing. Kevin Weeks said a chance encounter between Bulger and murder victim Arthur "Bucky" Barrett gave his former boss the idea to shake down the expert safecracker. Weeks said Barrett was lured to the home of fellow associate Pat Nee's brother to buy stolen diamonds. He said he met Barrett at the door and grabbed his hands as Bulger walked out of the kitchen with a machine gun.

July 8, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's former right-hand man took the stand Monday morning, detailing the killings of Brian Halloran and Michael Donahue and laying out years of extortion schemes in South Boston. Kevin Weeks said he began his career riding around with Bulger picking up envelopes containing money and beating people up if he needed to. It wasn't until the killings of Edward Halloran and Michael Donahue that he realized he was fully involved in the gang. Weeks laid out, in detail, how he acted as he was on the lookout for Halloran in Boston's seaport. "I said the balloon is rising, the balloon is in the air," Weeks remembered saying over a short wave radio as Halloran left a restaurant in the area. Moments later, Bulger pulled up along the side of the car Halloran and Donahue were in and opened fire. Weeks said he remembered seeing a wounded Halloran get out of the vehicle only to be shot repeatedly by Bulger, at one point the force of the bullets causing his body to "bounce" on the ground. He said Donahue was never a target. Weeks said he later met up with Bulger at Stephen Flemmi's parent's home, Bulger bragging about his kill and Flemmi expressing disappointment that he wasn't there. The three even visited a tow lot in South Boston where the car had been taken so Bulger could see what had been done first-hand. "It was all about him," said Weeks of Bulger.

July 3, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team added five new names to his witness list Wednesday. The list includes OIG Special Agent James Marra, who already appeared on the stand as a government witness, as well as former FBI deputy director Weldon Kennedy, Theodore Berenson Jr., James Knotts, and Joseph Kelly.

July 2, 2013: A former drug dealer says he made about $200,000 a year when James "Whitey" Bulger protected his narcotics operation. Joseph Tower testified Tuesday in the reputed gangster's trial that Bulger also saved Tower's brother when he was being held hostage after trying to collect a drug debt. Tower, who received immunity from prosecution, has said he went into business with Bulger in 1980. Tower says Bulger was so feared that his drug operatives knew they had the protection they needed to carry out their illegal business, the proceeds of which Bulger shared.

July 1, 2013: A former FBI agent who admitted taking payoffs from James "Whitey" Bulger appeared to choke back tears as he offered a dramatic apology to the family of one of the reputed gangster's alleged murder victims. "Not a day in my life has gone by that I haven't thought about this. Not a day in my life has gone by that I haven't prayed that God gives you blessing and comfort for the pain that you suffered," Jim Morris, his voice cracking, told a widow and her three sons Monday during cross-examination by a defense lawyer at Bulger's racketeering trial.

June 25, 2013: Wife of alleged Bulger victim Tommy King says she never saw her husband alive again after Boston Police showed up at her home in Nov. 1975 and said a friend of her husband's, Francis "Buddy" Leonard had been found dead in his car. Prosecutors said Bulger hitman John Martorano shot King because Bulger saw him as a threat. They say the Bulger gang killed Leonard the following day in an attempt to divert attention from King's disappearance.

Sandra Castucci, the widow of nightclub owner Richard Castucci, said her husband left the house on Dec. 29, 1976, but did not return. Prosecutors say Castucci was killed by Bulger's gang after former FBI Agent John Connolly told Bulger that Castucci had become an informant and had told the FBI where two members of the gang were hiding in New York.

June 24, 2013

: Excerpts from James "Whitey" Bulger's FBI informant file presented to the jury at his racketeering trial Monday show Bulger secretly provided information on a variety of criminals, from members of the Italian Mafia to people in his own South Boston neighborhood.

At one point Monday, Bulger appeared to be visibly angry during arguments between his lawyer and the prosecution outside earshot of the jury. Several people heard him mutter an expletive and deny that he was an informant.

The jury spent the day listening to James Marra, a special agent with the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General, read excerpts from Bulger's 700-page FBI file.

Marra said file documents show that Bulger began working as an informant in 1971, but was shut down after a short time after his FBI handler determined he was not providing useful information. Marra said Bulger became an informant again in 1975 for then-FBI Agent John Connolly and continued in that role almost continually for about 15 years, until Connolly retired.

June 21, 2013: Shooting victim Frank Capizzi took the stand Friday to describe the events of March 19, 1973. Capizzi was in the car when the driver, Albert Plummer, was killed. Capizzi and another man in the car were wounded. Former hit man John Martorano testified this week that Plummer was one of two people killed by mistake as Bulger's gang tried to kill Al "Indian Al" Notarangeli, a member of a rival gang.

Capizzi, who described himself a professional gambler in those days, said he did not see who shot at the car, but said he soon left Boston out of fear.

Actor Robert Duvall, who is in Mass. filming a movie, also attended court Friday.

June 20, 2013: Shooting survivors and family members of James "Whitey" Bulger's alleged victims delivered emotional testimony in the reputed mob boss' trial Thursday. The day began with survivor Diane Sussman de Tennen, who at one point looked to the ceiling in an attempt at composing herself as she tearfully recalled the night in 1973 she was shot alongside her boyfriend and his co-worker, Michael Milano. De Tennen said she "had the honor of sitting in the front passenger seat" of Milano's new Mercedes on the evening of March 8, 1973. She left the bar where her boyfriend, Louie Lapiana, worked as a bartender. Milano, the restaurant manager, drove the same car as the bar's owner, "Indian Al" Notarangeli. A Bulger associate claims Notarangeli was the intended target of the shooting.

June 19, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team continued their attempt at poking holes in former Bulger associate John Martorano's credibility as a witness Wednesday. Defense attorney Hank Brennan focused on Bulger's alleged involvement in approving the murder of businessman Roger Wheeler. In previous interviews with law enforcement, Martorano said Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi approved the murder because it would help out ex-FBI agent H. Paul Rico who worked in security at World Jai Alai. Martorano also said it would help his friend John Callahan.

June 18, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team attempted to portray former Bulger associate John Martorano as a ruthless serial killer who would do anything for money during the key government witness's second day of testimony Tuesday. Martorano kept his calm demeanor while fielding questions from the prosecution as he matter-of-factly explained grisly details in the murders of Thomas King, John Callahan, and Roger Wheeler.

June 17, 2013: A former hitman who admitted killing 20 people says he decided to testify against James "Whitey" Bulger after learning Bulger and his partner were FBI informants. John Martorano served 12 years in prison after striking a cooperation deal with prosecutors. Martorano took the witness stand Tuesday against Bulger. He described Bulger and his partner, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, as his "partners in crime," his best friends and the godfathers of his children.

June 14, 2013: A bookmaker is testifying that he and other bookies were forced to pay James "Whitey" Bulger and his gang to stay in business and if they didn't, they were told they could "wind up in the hospital." James Katz told jurors Friday at Bulger's trial that he took illegal bets on sporting events from 1971 to 1993. The 83-year-old Bulger is charged in a broad racketeering indictment with participating in 19 murders and committing other crimes.

June 13, 2013: While the government displayed dozens of weapons investigators say belonged to James "Whitey" Bulger and his associates, the defense focused their attention on the relationship and potential difficulties two retired Mass. State Police officials had with federal officials during the second day of Bulger's trial. The first two government witnesses were retired Mass. State Police officials who investigated the reputed mob boss during the 1980s.

June 12, 2013: The high-profile trial of reputed mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger began at the Moakley Federal Courthouse Wednesday. Judge Denise Casper opened the first day in court by reminding the jury of their duties and detailing what must be proven by the government to render a guilty plea in any of the 32 counts Bulger faces.

June 11, 2013: A lawyer for reputed Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger has had a heated exchange with a federal prosecutor over allegations by a state trooper who claims he was thwarted when he tried to investigate a key prosecution witness. J.W. Carney Jr. repeatedly accused prosecutors of engaging in a "cover-up" and began shouting when the judge indicated she was leaning toward denying a defense request to order state police to turn over any documents related to an investigation of convicted hit man John Martorano.

June 11, 2013: Criminal background checks on potential jurors in the trial of reputed Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger have turned up 13 people with some type of record. Lawyers in the case revealed the results of background checks Tuesday while meeting with Judge Denise Casper as jury selection resumes.

June 10, 2013: James "Whitey" Bulger's attorneys are asking for the trial to be delayed. The judge has said she wants opening statements on Wednesday. The motion was filed Monday morning. Bulger's attorneys want to conduct an investigation into what prosecutors knew about the alleged criminal activities of one of the government's star witnesses.

June 10, 2013: The task of picking a jury for the federal trial of James "Whitey" Bulger is continuing. About 150 people not eliminated after filling out a juror questionnaire are scheduled to report to U.S. District Court in Boston on Monday for individual questioning by lawyers and the judge. The goal is to select 18 jurors — 12 regular jurors and six alternates.

June 7, 2013: Prosecutors and defense attorneys for reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger are reviewing hundreds of questionnaires filled out by prospective jurors in Bulger's racketeering trial. More than 800 people were asked to fill out lengthy forms to be used to screen prospective jurors.

June 5, 2013: U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper on Wednesday postponed opening statements in the murder trial of reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger until next Wednesday at the earliest.

June 4, 2013: Jury selection has begun in the trial of reputed Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. Judge Denise Casper on Tuesday told the first pool of 225 potential jurors that the mere fact they have heard or read something about the case does not mean they will be excluded from being selected.

May 30, 2013: Bulger's defense team released their list of possible witnesses. The list of 78 potential witnesses includes former trial Judge Richard Stearns, family members of alleged victims, and talk show host and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr.

May 29, 2013: In a joint trial memorandum, the government and Bulger's attorneys say they expect the trial to last at least four months. The government plans to present their case in 12 to 14 weeks, while Bulger's attorneys expect their case to last four weeks.

May 28, 2013: Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to reject a request from lawyers for James "Whitey" Bulger who want to limit testimony from family members of people he is accused of killing.

May 24, 2013: Judge Denise Casper granted the government's request to conduct criminal background checks on jurors in the trial.

Bulger's defense team requested discovery on several items, including confidential sources that made allegations against former Bulger associate Kevin Weeks and the release of documents related to testimony from a woman who claims Bulger threatened her family into selling their liquor store in the 1980s.

May 23, 2013: Prosecutors filed a motion to prevent the notorious mobster's lawyers from holding media press conferences following hearings and from making statements which might jade potential jurors or damage the government's reputation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office released the government's list of witnesses expected to be called to the stand during the trial, as well as a 31-page list of exhibits.

May 17, 2013: Court upholds 8-year prison sentence for Bulger's longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig.

May 16, 2013: Federal prosecutors asked the court to allow criminal background checks on potential jurors in the racketeering trial of reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. They cited the case of a convicted killer who was sentenced to death for carjacking and killing two Massachusetts men and was also convicted of killing a New Hampshire man during a weeklong crime spree in 2001. The killer's sentence was set aside by a judge who found that one juror had repeatedly given dishonest answers to questions about her life.

May 15, 2013: Judge Denise Casper denied James "Whitey" Bulger's request seeking the disclosure of the identities of confidential informants. The judge issued the ruling saying Bulger and his attorneys failed to show how the information would be relevant to his case.

May 2, 2013: Judge Denise Casper granted prosecutors' motion to bar Bulger from arguing immunity at trial. In March, Bulger's defense team requested that Judge Casper review the original ruling that barred Bulger from using an immunity defense after Judge Richard Stearns was removed from the trial due to his past work as a federal prosecutor.

April 26, 2013: Families of Bulger's alleged victims see him in person for the first time at his immunity defense hearing.

March 18, 2013: Prosecutors say Bulger's longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, failed to tell them about a bank account worth $134,000 or a house that she owned in Quincy, according to the Boston Herald. They say that is one reason why her prison sentence should not be reduced.

March 15, 2013: Judge Denise J. Casper tapped to preside over Bulger trial.

Feb. 21, 2013: News reports claim James "Whitey" Bulger was transported to the hospital again for heart trouble. Bulger was examined at a Plymouth hospital in February for an irregular heartbeat, according to the Boston Globe.

Jan. 8, 2013: Bulger's lawyers ask court to remove U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns after claiming he can't be impartial during the trial because he was a federal prosecutor in charge of the U.S. attorney's office criminal division during some of the time Bulger was an FBI informant.

Nov. 14, 2012: Catherine Greig appeals her 8-year prison sentence.

Nov 4, 2012: Mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was taken to Boston Medical Center after complaining of chest pains at the prison where he is awaiting trial for his alleged role in 19 murders, Massachusetts officials say.

Sept. 25, 2012: Catherine Greig pays $150,000 federal fine assessed when she pleaded guilty.

June 15, 2012: Exhibits in Greig trial released. The exhibits bring an in-depth look inside the secret life of Bulger and Greig.

June 12, 2012: Greig sentenced to eight years in prison.

Dec. 22, 2011: While many Bostonians were preparing for holiday festivities, accused mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger was quietly slipped into a Boston area hospital to receive medical treatment. Sources did not say why he required treatment.

July 5, 2011: Bulger pleads not guilty to participating in 19 murders.

June 30, 2011: Bulger receives a public defender, J.W. Carney Jr., a prominent Boston defense attorney.

June 27, 2011: FBI announces Bulger visited Boston while on the lam.

June 22, 2011: Bulger and Greig are found living in Santa Monica, Cali. living under the names Charles and Carol Gasko.

1999: Former Bulger associate Kevin Weeks is arrested on racketeering charges reportedly after learning Bulger served as informants. Weeks eventually cooperates with investigators, leading them to the burial sites of several of Bulger's alleged victims.

Jan. 1995: Bulger returns to Boston to drop Stanley off after she decided she wanted to return home to her family. He picks up Catherine Greig, thus beginning their 16 years on the run together.

Dec. 1994: Former FBI agent John Connolly tips Bulger off that he is about to be arrested. He flees Boston with Theresa Stanley.

1994: Mass. State Police, Boston Police, and the DEA build a case against Bulger under the RICO Act. The FBI is kept in the dark.

1991: Bulger shares the winnings of a Mass. Lottery ticket purchased at a convenience store he owned.

1982: Edward Halloran, who reportedly tipped the FBI off about Bulger's roles in the murder of Litif and businessman Roger Wheeler, is shot dead in May. Michael Donahue, who offered to drive Halloran home after seeing him at a restaurant, is also shot dead.

1980: A bookie named Louis Litif, who is alleged to have worked for Bulger, is found dead inside a garbage bag. A former Bulger associate claims he was found dead after an argument with Bulger.

1979: Most of the Winter Hill Gang is sentenced for fixing horse races. Bulger and Flemmi walk - leaving them to take over the organization.

1974: Bulger forges a partnership with Steve "the Rifleman" Flemmi. It is also around this time Bulger is alleged to have become an FBI informant.

1972: Bulger joins the Winter Hill Gang after a mob war.
 
Nov. 1959: Bulger is transferred to Alcatraz. He would be transferred two other times before finishing his 9-year sentence in 1965.

1956: Bulger is first sentenced to serve time on armed robbery and hijacking charges.

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