Crime & Safety

Feds Ask for 10-Year Prison Sentence for Catherine Greig

In a memorandum filed today, federal prosecutors said alleged mobster James "Whitey" Bulger's longtime girlfriend committed the worse case of harboring they'd seen.

Federal prosecutors today recommended a sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $150,000 and a period of supervised release for three years for Catherine Greig, longtime companion of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. She pleaded guilty March 14 to helping him elude capture.

"This is no garden variety harboring case. It is the most extreme case of harboring this District has seen," U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz wrote in her 36-page sentencing memorandum, filed today in U.S. District Court in Boston.

"Knowing full well that Bulger was wanted for very serious crimes and having ample opportunity to walk away at any time, Greig not only concealed Bulger from law enforcement but did, herself, commit multiple additional felonies in order to protect him from capture," Ortiz wrote.

Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Greig, 61, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. She faces up to five years in prison for each of her offenses.

In pleading guilty to harboring a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud, Greig admitted to having a close personal relationship with Bulger, fleeing from the Boston area with him in 1995 and assisting him while he hid from authorities for 16 years. Greig admitted to using false identities to conceal herself during her time in hiding. Bulger and Greig were ultimately arrested in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 22, 2011.

Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors will not call on Greig to testify against Bulger, the reputed head of the Winter Hill Gang who is accused of participating in 19 murders in addition to other charges.

Bulger's trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 5.

On other Winter Hill Gang-related news, Howie Winter, 83, head of the gang in the late 1960s and 1970s, before Bulger is said to have taken it over, was . The case is unrelated to those of Bulger and Crieg's.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.