By Jason Islas
Lookout Staff

March 15, 2012 -- The girlfriend of James “Whitey” Bulger pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping the mob boss evade capture for 16 years.

The couple was arrested last June in Santa Monica, where they had been living for almost two decades under assumed identities and under the noses of authorities who suspected the mobster had fled the country.

His girlfriend, Catherine Greig, has admitted to conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud in the service of helping Bulger escape law enforcement, according to authorities.

Each of the crimes Greig pleaded to carry a maximum five-year sentence, but, it's possible that she will only receive a total of three years, reports said. Her plea bargain doesn't require her to testify against Bulger, however.

Her sentencing is set for June 12.

Both Bulger and Greig fled Boston in 1995 when authorities began to close in on the mob boss, who was wanted in connection to at least 19 murders.

The couple called Santa Monica home for 15 of the 16 years they evaded authorities, living under the assumed identities of Carol and Charles Gasko.

"I also told false cover stories to people we met in Santa Monica in order to conceal our true identities from law enforcement," Greig said in a statement.

They paid for their rent-controlled apartment, walking distance from the Third Street Promenade, in cash -- $1,145 a month.

Details about the couple's life on the lam have surfaced over the course of the investigation. But authorities recently announced they made a discovery in Bulger's apartment last June that could prove even more illuminating -- what may be autobiographical notes penned by the mobster.

These notes are in addition to a previous document authorities found in 1995, just after Bulger fled the Boston area.

With the revelation that Bulger had been working on an autobiography, perhaps it's only a matter of time before he gets his own biopic.