|
10 Alleged Russian Agents Arrested in USA The United States have arrested 10 people for allegedly spying for Russia, one is still at large, the US Justice Department has announced.
The group, named “Illegals” by the police, have been accused for entering the U.S. with false identities and spying for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
The first 8 have been arrested on Sunday, accused for “long-term, ‘deep-cover’ assignments”. Later, two more people from the spy-ring have been arrested. One remains at large.
If they are found guilty, the “Illegals” could serve up to 5 years in jail.
Nine of them have also been charged for money laundering. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years behind bars.
According to the criminal complaints, filed in the U.S. federal court, the accused had to “become sufficiently “Americanized” such that they could gather information about the United States for Russia and can successfully recruit sources who are in, or are able to infiltrate, United States policy-making circles.”
The spies, who worked in civilian jobs so that they do not arouse suspicion, were trained by SVR to infiltrate the policy-making circles, befriend US officials, gather information and send it through various method to Russia.
Some of the techniques they used included invisible ink, burying money, “brush pasts”, where the agents swap identical bags as they pass each other, as well as posting apparently innocent pictures containing hidden messages on the internet.
According to officials, the spies have been using false identities since 1990s. Some of them even lived as couples for years.
“You were sent to USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house, etc – all these sere one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policy-making circles in US and send intels” says one message to two of the alleged spies, according to the police.
The suspects have been investigated for years before being arrested. They lived as ordinary citizens, known as: Richard Murphy and Cynthia Murphy, known as a “couple”, Michael Zattoli and Patricia Mills, another “couple”, Vicky Pelaez, Juan Lazaro, Anna Chapman, Mikhail Semenko, Donald Howard Heathfield, Tracey Lee Ann Foley, and Christopher R. Metsos.
All the suspects except Chapman and Semenko have been accused for money laundering. For the time being, only Metsos remain at large.
Tags: USA, Russia, agents, spies
| 
