Like many high-profile mobsters, James "Whitey" Bulger will likely earn a place in the pantheon of great gangsters.

Judging by the interest in Bulger's story, and a tendency by some to turn hard-boiled sinners into soft-boiled saints, Whitey is definitely an A-List mobster, even though he doesn't have a truly epochal gangster moment to his credit.

Whitey Bulger police mug 62411.jpgAP file photoThe official police mugshot of James J. 'Whitey' Bulger Jr., reputed leader of Boston's Irish mob, who was arrested last week and returned to Boston to answer murder and other charges.

gotti.JPGAP file photoA 1990 file photo of John Gotti, the late New York mob boss.

Instead of money, the hearing before Judge Mark Wolf dealt with the government's request to dismiss "with prejudice" the 1994 racketeering charges against Bulger. The government filed a motion today to dismiss those lesser charges in favor of concentrating on more serious charges involving 19 murders that were filed in 1999.
Peter Krupp, Bulger's current court-appointed attorney, made a plea for time to confer with his client and called the government's request to dismiss the racketeering charges "troubling" and referred to it as "forum shopping."

If prosecutors were allowed to drop the charges that include extortion, loan sharking, witness tampering and conspiracy, it would remove Bulger's case from Wolf's court, since another judge is assigned to the indictment on the murder charges.

Wolf asked Bulger's attorney to file paperwork related to the federal prosecutors' request by the end of the day Wednesday.

In a five-page filing, the U.S. Attorney's office urged Wolf to ask Bulger's brothers, William (Billy) and John, to file financial affidavits with the court.