Cherchez la femme: FBI targets mobster's moll

BOSTON - FBI agents on the trail of James "Whitey" Bulger are turning to TV ads aimed at women and hoping to exploit his longtime girlfriend's vanity as they try to bring the fugitive Boston mob boss to justice after 16 years on the run.

The FBI yesterday announced a publicity campaign and accompanying public-service ad that asks people, particularly women, to be on the lookout for Catherine Greig.

She and Bulger have been on the lam since 1995 and are thought to still be traveling together. Bulger is wanted in connection with 19 murders; Greig is accused of harboring a fugitive.

The 30-second ad was scheduled to start running today in 14 television markets to which Bulger may have ties and will air during programs popular with women roughly Greig's age - 60.

"We are trying to reach a different audience that will produce new leads in the case," said agent Richard Teahan, who has been tracking Bulger, 81, since 2006. "Greig has certain habits, characteristics and idiosyncrasies that are recognizable, and we think the public might naturally notice these things."

The campaign points out that Greig had several plastic surgeries before fleeing and was known to frequent beauty salons.

It notes that Greig, a former dental hygienist who is 5-foot-6, blue-eyed and blond, had impeccable oral hygiene and perfect teeth as a result of monthly visits to the dentist. It also notes that she, like Bulger, is an animal lover and mentions that she has used the aliases Helen Marshal and Carol Shapeton.

The public-service announcement also stresses the age difference between the two.

The FBI already had taken out ads in publications aimed at dentists and plastic surgeons.

"The next logical step was to profile her on a national scope," Teahan said.

The FBI is hoping that a patron or employee of a dental office, hospital, manicurist, beauty salon or other business remembers seeing Greig.

The FBI also doubled the reward leading to Greig's capture to $100,000. The reward for the capture of Bulger, who is on the FBI's most-wanted list, is $2 million.

Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang when he fled in January 1995, after being tipped by a former Boston FBI agent that he was about to be indicted. Bulger was a top FBI informant.

The FBI has pursued Bulger around the world. The history buff and avid reader is believed to have traveled in France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain and Canada. The last credible sighting of the couple was in London in 2002.

The campaign focusing on Greig will be extended internationally, Teahan said. The FBI said that despite his age, Bulger is still considered dangerous because of his violent temper and is known to carry a knife.