Whitey Bulger's defense cost taxpayers more than $3 million and counting

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

The documents submitted to U.S. District Judge Denise Casper show that Bulger's defense lawyers have been paid a little over $2.7 million by the government for their work. When the costs of experts, paralegal services and transcripts are added in, the taxpayer-funded total reaches slightly over $3 million.

Bulger, 84, was convicted in August of a host of crimes in a racketeering indictment, including playing a role in 11 murders while he led a violent gang. Bulger is now serving a life sentence in federal prison.

He is appealing, so the legal costs are expected to go even higher. During his trial, Bulger was represented by attorney J.W. Carney Jr. and several lawyers at Carney's Boston law firm. He was also represented by attorney Hank Brennan.

Court officials determined that Bulger was indigent and unable to pay for his own defense after he was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011 following 16 years on the run, when he was one of the nation's most wanted fugitives. His assets, including more than $800,000 in cash found in his apartment, have been seized by the federal government.

Bulger's lawyers and a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the defense costs.