Boston: Mob boss brought back to ‘Southie’; will he sing?

US General Services Administration. Massachusetts Federal Buildings. http://www.gsa.gov

James “Whitey” Bulger finally returns to his hometown of Boston after 16 years on the run.

Bulger, appearing in federal court Friday afternoon, asked for a public defender. But prosecutors objected, citing $800,000 found in the former mob boss’ Santa Monica, Calif., apartment.

The federal magistrate did not immediately rule on the request.

Attorney Peter Krupp was appointed to represent Bulger only on Friday.

Prosecutors asked that Bulger be held without bond. Bulger waived his right to a detention hearing on Friday, but Krupp says he may ask for a hearing later.

Bulger, wearing jeans and a white shirt under a white unbuttoned shirt, was brought into court in handcuffs, which were then removed. He looked tan and fit and walked with a slight hunch.

Bulger was taken from the Moakley Courthouse, under police escort, to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility on Long Pond Road in Plymouth.

(By DENISE LAVOIE, AP Legal Affairs Writer)

WATD’s Steven Dodrill contributed to the story.