BOSTON (Reuters) - Catherine Greig, girlfriend of James "Whitey" Bulger, pleaded guilty in a federal court on Wednesday to charges that she conspired to help the reputed Boston mob boss evade capture during their 16 years on the run.
Greig, 60, dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, was barely audible as she delivered her "Guilty" plea in front of a packed courtroom.
The plea deal had been expected after court papers released by authorities on Monday, including a statement in which the former dental hygienist described her "close, personal relationship" with Bulger and many details of their years in hiding, including using multiple false identifies.
Greig's next court appearance was set for June 12. She had earlier pleaded not guilty on related charges and had been expected to stand trial starting May 7.
Bulger and Greig were arrested in June in Santa Monica, California, along with a huge cache of firearms and over $820,000 in cash hidden in the walls of their apartment hideout a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean.
Among those present in court were Greig's twin sister, Margaret McCusker, and families of some of Bulger's 19 alleged murder victims from the 1970s and 1980s. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Richard DesLauriers, FBI Special Agent in charge of the agency's Boston office, sat in the front row.
Greig looked somber as she was lead, in handcuffs, into the courtroom of Federal Judge Douglas Woodlock. Her grey hair was longer than at her most recent court appearance in August.
She sat down without making apparent eye contact with her sister or others -- but later nodded and smiled at McCusker when she was lead out, back in handcuffs, after the nearly two-hour hearing.
Greig could face up to five years in prison on each of three counts but as part of the plea deal is expected to get a much lighter sentence. Sentencing will be determined at a later date.
Shortly before Greig made her plea -- guilty on charges of conspiring to harbor a fugitive, conspiring to commit identity theft and committing identity theft -- came a moment of drama.
Steven Davis, whose sister Debra was one of Bulger's 19 alleged murder victims, approached the judge to brand Greig a "monster."
"She's not who she appears to be. She's a monster under all that skin of hers," Davis said.
Greig's document included many details about the life she and Bulger led after they fled Massachusetts, including their ability to create and maintain various false identities.
Authorities allege Greig used a total of ten different aliases to shop, pay bills and obtain medications for Bulger.
At the time of their arrest, Bulger and Greig had hiding in plain sight, living as the fictional "Charles and Carol Gasko" for some 15 years.
Bulger's story was the inspiration behind Martin Scorsese's 2006 crime thriller, "The Departed."
