Catherine Greig, girlfriend of Whitey Bulger, reconsidering plea, victim’s brother says

GlobalPost

Catherine Greig, the girlfriend of Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, is considering a guilty plea on a charge of helping the gangster evade capture for more than 16 years, according to the brother of one of Bulger’s alleged victims.

"I got a call that Catherine Greig is supposed to plead to the charges," the Boston Herald quoted Steve Davis, brother of one of the 19 people that Whitey stands accused of killing, as saying.

"This isn’t a bargain. They were clear about that. It’s not a deal, they said.

"I guess she wanted to get it over with, do her time and put it behind her."

Davis told The Boston Globe that prosecutors had asked relatives of Bulger’s alleged victims to meet with them Monday to talk about the proposed plea and any objections they may have.

Greig, 60, a dental hygienist, is set to stand trial May 7 on a charge of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive. According to the AP, she is scheduled to appear in US District Court in Boston on Wednesday for a hearing.

Bulger, 82, a longtime FBI informant, is accused of killing 19 people during his time as a South Boston crime boss in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Associated Press wrote that as head of Boston's Winter Hill Gang, he informed for the FBI on the rival New England Mafia.

His FBI handler, John Connolly Jr., was convicted of racketeering for warning Bulger that he was about to be indicted just before Bulger fled Boston in 1994.

Bulger, 82, is scheduled to stand trial in November, with the charges making up part of a sweeping federal racketeering case, the Globe reported.

According to the Globe, Davis said: "If that’s what she wants to do is plead guilty, what else can you do but accept that?"

He added that he would not be disappointed if there was no trial for Greig, who was not charged with any of the killings.

"Get rid of her [case], and we can all focus on him, Whitey."

(More from GlobalPost: Tough times for Australian billionaires)

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