Girlfriend of Mobster Whitey Bulger Gets 8 Years

The longtime girlfriend of mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was sentenced today to eight years in prison for helping one of the FBI's most-wanted men stay on the run for 16 years, a life her lawyer said she doesn't regret because she still loves Bulger. Catherine Greig showed no emotion when US District Judge Douglas Woodlock handed down the sentence after listening to emotional pleas from relatives of those Bulger is accused of killing. Bulger, the 82-year-old former leader of the notorious Winter Hill Gang, is awaiting trial on charges he participated in 19 murders.

Greig, 61, had pleaded guilty in March to charges of conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud, and conspiracy to commit identity fraud. Greig's lawyer urged the judge to impose a sentence of a little over two years, arguing that she fell in love and didn't think he was a killer. "He's the love of her life and she stands by him," he said after the sentencing. "Of course she doesn't regret it." (More Whitey Bulger stories.)