Catherine Greig, the girlfriend of convicted South Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, was indicted Tuesday for criminal contempt after refusing to testify about the pair's time in hiding in California.
The office of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced it had charged Greig, 64, in U.S. District Court in Boston after she refused to testify before a grand jury.
"Ms. Greig was ordered by the Court to testify before a grand jury about whether others assisted Mr. Bulger while he lived on the lam for 16 years," Ortiz said in a statement. "By refusing to comply with that order, Ms. Greig has committed a new crime and this indictment seeks to hold her accountable. The grand jury is entitled to her testimony and flouting a federal court’s order has substantial consequences."
"Catherine Greig has yet again failed to do the right thing,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division. “Her refusal to testify has hindered the FBI's efforts to seek justice for the victims of his crimes. Our efforts to find those who assisted them during their lives as fugitives will not stop despite the fact that Ms. Greig has refused to testify."
The indictment charges Greig with refusing to testify from Dec. 9, 2014, to Sept. 22, 2015. The grand jury was related to an investigation into whether Bulger and Greig had outside help while living in California from 1995 to 2011, when they were arrested.
During his trial, Bulger had offered to plead guilty in exchange for charges being dropped agains Greig. The offer was rejected.
Greig was also charged with contempt in Feburary, for not testifying about Bulger's assets.
Greig was convicted of identity fraud and harboring Bulger in 2012, and sentenced to 8 years in prison. She could face additional jail time as a result of the new charge.
