Boston Crime Boss 'Whitey' Bugler's Girlfriend Due in Court

The girlfriend of former crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger was headed to federal court in Boston on Thursday for arraignment on charges of aiding her fugitive boyfriend.

The indictment against Catherine Greig, 60, alleges that she conspired with Bulger and others to conceal and harbor the aging gangster during the 16 years the pair were on the run together.

She faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine if convicted of the crime.

Greig and the 81-year-old Bulger were arrested on June 22 in their Santa Monica, California, hide-out with a stash of about 30 firearms and $822,000 in cash hidden in holes in the wall.

Greig had used a host of aliases over the years including Carol Gasko, Helen Marshall, Carol Shapeton and Mrs. Thomas Baxter to make purchases and pay bills, according to the indictment.

She ran many of the errands to minimize Bulger's time in public. To erase any suspicion about time spent inside with the window shades drawn, Greig told a property manager at their Santa Monica apartment complex that her husband "Charlie," actually Bulger, was sick with emphysema, the indictment said.

Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, was wanted on federal racketeering charges in connection with 19 murders from the 1970s and 1980s. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts against him.

He fled Boston in late 1994 after receiving a tip from a corrupt FBI agent that federal charges were pending. Greig joined him a short time later.

During a probable cause and detention hearing in July, prosecutors portrayed Greig as a flight risk who was skilled in the tricks of the fugitive trade.

The defense, in arguing for her release, said Greig was not privy to Bulger's business dealings, was under his strict and controlling thumb, and is beloved by those who know her.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington had asked that she be released on bail and ordered to be confined at home and monitored electronically.

Greig, born and raised in South Boston, still owns a home in nearby Quincy. Her twin sister Margaret McCusker offered her own home as collateral as well in the bid for release.

Greig ultimately agreed to voluntary detention and will remain behind bars until the judge determines whether she should be released pending trial.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Peter Bohan.)