.
Given what they have been hinting at for most of this season ("they" being the writers through the characters' mouths), El's not-quite-criminal past may play a role in either the finale or, more likely, in the post-summer return of this season of White Collar.
And I know the actress portraying El has said she's glad to go against the grain*...but if anything happens, and Peter loses El (either from her going to prison, kidnapped, or any other reason), Neal may not like what he finds.
* = the grain being how in many tv shows that have couples onscreen, have those couples in marital difficulties of one degree of severity or another.
now, now that I have written that, I shall go watch the episode.