msnbc.com news services report:

James "Whitey" Bulger, a notorious Boston gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said Wednesday.

During his years on the run, the FBI received reported sightings of Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig from all over the United States and parts of Europe. In many of those sightings, investigators could not confirm whether it was actually Bulger who was spotted or simply a lookalike. Read the full story.

FBI via AP, file

Four FBI handout photos, originally released in 1995, showing Boston mob boss James J. "Whitey" Bulger, who was a fugitive from the law since January 1995. Bulger, a notorious gangster on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list for his alleged role in 19 murders, has been captured near Los Angeles after living on the run for 16 years, authorities said on June 22, 2011. The photos top left and top right were taken in 1983, bottom right in 1986 and bottom left in 1994.

FBI via AP, file

Photos of 'Whitey Bulger' released by the FBI. Left: 1995. Right: Undated.

Michael Dwyer / AP, file

An FBI wanted poster featuring images of 'Whitey' Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig that was placed in a dentists' journal in 2010.

Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Police cars are seen outside the apartment building of accused Boston crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger in Santa Monica, California, on June 22. On the run for over 16 years, Bulger and his longtime girlfriend were finally caught in California by the FBI on Wednesday.