FBI arrests ten accused of being Russian spies

TEN alleged Russian spies have been arrested in the United States, the result of a multi-year investigation in four states, the FBI has said.

Eight of the 10 were “carrying out long-term, ‘deep-cover’ assignments”, the FBI said, while two had lesser roles in the Russian intelligence programme. The arrests took place on Sunday in New Jersey, New York, Boston and Virginia.

The New York and New Jersey defendants, two of whom were named as Richard Murphy and Cynthia Murphy from Monclair, New Jersey, were appearing yesterday in a federal court in Manhattan. The Virginia defendants were to make court appearances in Alexandria. One other defendant has been charged, but is at large.

A decrypted message from Russia’s intelligence headquarters in Moscow to one of the defendants, and included in the criminal complaint, spelled out this objective: “Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc. – all these serve one goal: fulfil your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US and send intels” to the Moscow centre.

The complaint states such agents are highly trained in “languages; agent-to-agent communications, including the use of brush-passes; short-wave radio operation and invisible writing; the use of codes and ciphers, including the use of encrypted Morse code messages; the creation and use of a cover profession; counter-surveillance measures” and more.

All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. All but two are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.