Whitey Bulger's GF Catherine Greig Files Notice of Appeal

Whitey Bulger's girlfriend is appealing her conviction before the First Circuit Court of Appeals, reports The Associated Press.

Yesterday, Catherine Greig was sentenced to eight years behind bars for her role in helping her notorious boyfriend evade capture by authorities.

She pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity fraud, and identity fraud.

One day after her sentencing, the 61-year old Greig filed a Notice of Appeal, asking the First Circuit Court of Appeals to review her entire case.

James "Whitey" Bulger had been on the run for 16 years, after being tipped off by an FBI agent that he was soon to be indicted.

Bulger was the one-time leader of the notorious Winter Hill Gang in the Boston area. He allegedly participated in 19 murders.

The pair fled Boston in 1995, and were finally captured in June 2011, when they were discovered to be living in Santa Monica, Calif.

Greig is appealing her entire case: both the conviction and the sentence. (While her lawyers argued for a 27-month sentence, prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence.)

During her case, her lawyers argued that it was love, not a criminal motive, that drove Greig to harbor a fugitive.

Families of the victims weren't touched by the argument; during the victim impact portion of the sentencing, they spared little to show their true feelings for Greig.

The father of one of Whitey's victims referred to Greig as a criminal and stated that she should be treated the same as her boyfriend. Another victim's mother said that Whitey would never have survived all these years if it weren't for Greig.

It's hard to say whether the First Circuit will be moved by the "love conquers all" argument, either. For now, we'll just have to wait and see how the appellate court will handle the case.

Related Resources:

• Supreme Court Denies Hearing in Halloran-Whitey Bulger Case (FindLaw's First Circuit Blog)
• Browse First Circuit Cases (FindLaw Cases)
• First Circuit Court of Appeals (US Courts)