Whitey's Tipster and the "Program"

So the Boston Sunday Globe published a story, complete with photos, that it said revealed the residence and identity of the person who supposedly tipped the FBI about the whereabouts of the bureau's number one partner-in-crime, James "Whitey" Bulger.

Oops.  Did I say partner-in-crime?  To the FBI?  Partner in the fact that the G-men were more than willing during Bulger's crime reign in South Boston to turn a blind eye to any number of illegal acts, including murder, as long as Whitey gave the feds something in return to help bolster the FBI's image as tough on organized crime.

Anyway, the Boston Herald, the Globe's local competitor, fretted today that by revealing the identity of the informant and her location in Iceland, her life would no longer be the same, and that she might even be in mortal danger.  The Herald imagined that plane loads of journalists would now be winging their way across the Atlantic to Reykjavik, Iceland in hopes of meeting up with Anna Bjornsdottir, the alleged tipster, who is now $2 million richer thanks to the reward from the FBI.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan frets about Anna's safety, announcing in the Herald that her safety cannot be 100 percent guaranteed.  He seems more concerned that the FBI's tipster "program", the one that allowed Bulger to operate his criminal enterprise at will for a number of years, will be jeopardized.

Really, Atty. Sullivan?  Are you serious?  Do you really think the Globe tracked Anna down on its own, that there wasn't a dime dropped by someone within the FBI?  And do you really believe the FBI gives a damn about Anna Bjornsdottir's future?  You know that they are not happy with having to pay out the reward money, just as they have been fighting against compensating the families of some of Bulger & Company's victims.

It all begs the question of whether this Anna Bjornsdottir was really the one who helped the FBI finally nab Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, after 16 years on the lam.  Was she merely a $2 million cover for the bureau's initial reluctance to bring in its star stoolie?  If so, does that firm up suspicions that the bureau has known all along Bulger's and Greig's whereabouts?

If the FBI is truly concerned about its tipster program, don't you think Anna's going to disappear from the landscape, if she hasn't already?  I'd bet on it.

Just sayin', there are legitimate questions to ponder.