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Whitey Bulger To Students: Crime Doesn't Pay

LAKEVILLE (CBS) -- Convicted South Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger is handing out some sage advice to a group of local teenagers who profiled him for a history project.

Some students at the Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville wanted to think outside the box for a competition asking them to look at leadership, and reached out to Bulger.

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Students received a letter from Whitey Bulger (WBZ-TV)

To their surprise, he wrote back. He didn't comment on his crimes, but did say his "life was wasted and spent foolishly, brought shame and suffering on my parents and siblings and will end soon."

He also told the students "I know only one thing for sure – if you want to make crime pay – 'Go to Law School.'"

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Letter Whitey Bulger sent to students. (WBZ-TV)

Michaela Arguin said that when they wrote to Bulger, they figured the worst that could happen was that he would not respond.

"The part that's cool about the letter is not that we got a response from this crazy man Whitey, but it was just that he actually responded to us at all," she told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "Because he doesn't really respond to a lot of people even though a lot of people think he likes the attention."

Mollykate Rodenbush said the letter didn't really address their questions, even if it did advise them not to turn to a life of crime.

"We all kind of laughed at that line just because it was comical in a way how he said go to law school if you want to make crime pay," she said.

Bulger is serving life in prison for 11 murders and a host of other crimes. His appeal is set to be heard in July.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports: 

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