BOSTON - In U.S. District Court today, Catherine E. Greig pleaded guilty to three felonies in connection with the harboring and concealing of one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives, James J. “Whitey” Bulger.
Greig, a/k/a Carol Gasko, a/k/a Carol Gasco, a/k/a Helen Marshall, a/k/a Carol Shapeton, a/k/a Mrs. Thomas Baxter, a/k/a J.L., a/k/a P.M., a/k/a N.S., a/k/a J.W., a/k/a C.L., 60, formerly of Quincy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity fraud and identity fraud. She will be sentenced on June 12, 2012, at 2:30 p.m.
“Not for a week, not for a month, and not for a year - but for 16 long years, Ms. Greig knowingly and willingly did everything she could to prevent the capture of Mr. Bulger,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “The sentence that we recommend will reflect the fact that she needs to pay a heavy price for those actions.”
“It was a very important part of the agreement that Ms. Greig not profit from her life’s story, to ensure that neither she nor her family members are able to exploit for financial gain crimes that have devastated the lives of victims and their families,” added U.S. Attorney Ortiz.
“Ms. Greig has been held to account for her crimes by the persistent efforts of the FBI-led Bulger Task Force, whose investigation developed overwhelming evidence of multiple schemes she used to harbor and conceal a Top Ten fugitive,” said Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the FBI. “Ms. Greig may have doubted the FBI's resolve to apprehend her, but the FBI's resolve and that of our law enforcement partners never wavered.”
“Ms. Greig was located as the direct result of an innovative media campaign purposefully crafted by the FBI to make the world a smaller place for her to hide. The FBI-led Bulger Task Force orchestrated her apprehension within two days of initiating the media campaign. Today, nearly nine months after her arrest, the victims’ families and the community know with finality that she will be held accountable for her criminal actions.”
SAC DesLauriers added, “The FBI wishes to thank the local, state, federal and international agencies who assisted the FBI in our worldwide investigation and apprehension of Ms. Greig.”
U.S. Marshal John Gibbons, said, “The Marshals Service is pleased to have helped contribute to bringing the James Whitey Bulger fugitive investigation to a successful conclusion. The Marshals Service, as the premier fugitive investigative agency in the country, is a strong proponent of bringing those that harbor violent fugitives to justice. Catherine Greig’s guilty plea sends a strong message that this sort of crime will not be tolerated.”
“Ms. Greig played a critical role in harboring a long sought fugitive, and victimized several others along the way. The IRS has remained committed to this investigation for years, and we are thankful that our contribution has helped bring one more person to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord of the Boston Division of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation.
At the plea hearing, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Pirozzolo stated that had the case proceeded to trial, the government would have proven that from January 1995 through June 22, 2011, Greig conspired with Bulger to take steps to prevent his discovery and arrest, this after learning that a warrant had been issued for his apprehension. Greig and Bulger posed as a married couple under different false identities. They obtained multiple means of identification to conceal their true identities, purchased necessary goods and services such as prescription medication, paid bills under an assumed name, and shopped for groceries and other necessities while living together.
Furthermore, Greig illegally obtained and used multiple identification documents including social security numbers, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates of other real persons with intent to create false identities. Additionally, authorities seized more than $820,000 cash and 30 firearms hidden inside the apartment shared by Greig and Bulger.
Greig faces a maximum of five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on each of the three counts. She also faces an order of restitution and forfeiture of monies derived from the identity fraud.
U.S. Attorney Ortiz; SAC DesLauriers; United States Marshal Gibbons of the District of Massachusetts; SAC Offord; Kevin Lane, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Commissioner Luis S. Spencer, Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Colonel Marian McGovern, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement.
U.S. Attorney Ortiz and the Bulger Task Force would like to thank United States Attorney André Birotte, Jr. and his staff in the Central District of California; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles Division; the Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration, Office of Investigations in Boston; and Boston Police Department for their invaluable assistance in this matter.
The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack W. Pirozzolo, Assistant U.S. Attorney James D. Herbert, Chief of Ortiz’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary B. Murrane, Chief of Ortiz’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
