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U.S. arrests 10 alleged Russian secret agents
Where are the Russkie poly members today? 
Let me remind or inform you of a tree branch falling and killing a child in Central Park. New tactics. 
I think server problems may have something to do with this same oganization. 
Four couples among those detained on East Coast as "deep cover" agents
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated less than 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON — They have American names like Cynthia Murphy, but the U.S. says 10 people facing charges are actually Russian secret agents whose "deep cover" stretched back 20 years and included scenes from a bad spy novel — including corny code words and document exchanges at public areas like New York's Central Park.
As deep-cover agents they would have civilian jobs rather than serving in Russian diplomatic or military missions.
Most of the suspects were arrested on Sunday. An 11th suspect was on the run Monday.
The suspects allegedly worked for the SVR, Russia's intelligence service and the successor to the Soviet KGB. They lived across the Northeast: Manhattan; Boston, Mass.; Montclair, N.J.; Yonkers, N.Y.; and Arlington, Va.
The federal complaint details a spy novel-like operation that includes false identities, secret communications, money and document handoffs in heavily trafficked public areas like New York's Grand Central Station and Central Park.
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated less than 1 minute ago
WASHINGTON — They have American names like Cynthia Murphy, but the U.S. says 10 people facing charges are actually Russian secret agents whose "deep cover" stretched back 20 years and included scenes from a bad spy novel — including corny code words and document exchanges at public areas like New York's Central Park.
As deep-cover agents they would have civilian jobs rather than serving in Russian diplomatic or military missions.
Most of the suspects were arrested on Sunday. An 11th suspect was on the run Monday.
The suspects allegedly worked for the SVR, Russia's intelligence service and the successor to the Soviet KGB. They lived across the Northeast: Manhattan; Boston, Mass.; Montclair, N.J.; Yonkers, N.Y.; and Arlington, Va.
The federal complaint details a spy novel-like operation that includes false identities, secret communications, money and document handoffs in heavily trafficked public areas like New York's Grand Central Station and Central Park.
For example, as part of an elaborate plan to hand off a phony passport on a New York park bench, one party was supposed to ask the other: "Excuse me, but haven't we met in California, last summer?"
To that the second party was to respond, "No, I think it was the Hamptons."
At that point, the passport was to be turned over, according to the complaint.
'Search and develop ties'
According to court papers in the case, the U.S. government intercepted a message from SVR headquarters to two of the defendants in 2009. The message states: "You were sent to USA for long term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house, etc. — all these serve one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e., to search and develop ties in policy-making circles in the US and send intels (intelligence reports) to Center."
One message back to Moscow from the defendants focused on turnover at the top level of the CIA and the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
The information was described as having been received in private conversation with, among others, a former legislative counsel for Congress. The court papers deleted the name of the counsel.
Another intercepted message said one of the defendants living in New Jersey, known as Cynthia Murphy, "had several work-related personal meetings with" a man the court papers describe as a prominent New York-based financier who was active in politics.
In response, intelligence headquarters in Moscow described the man as a very interesting target and urged the defendants to "try to build up little by little relations. ... Maybe he can provide" Murphy "with remarks re US foreign policy, 'roumors' about White house internal 'kitchen,' invite her to venues (to major political party HQ in NYC, for instance. ... In short, consider carefully all options in regard" to the financier."
In advance of President Barack Obama's visit to Russia last year, intelligence headquarters in Moscow sent directives to the defendants living in New Jersey requesting information on the U.S. position regarding a new Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear program.
Moscow indicated that it needed intelligence reports "which should reflect approaches and ideas of" four sub-Cabinet U.S. foreign policy officials.
Nuclear info exchange
One of the defendants living in Boston allegedly made contact in 2004 with an unidentified man who worked at a U.S. government research facility.
"He works on issues of strategic planning related to nuclear weapon development," the defendants' intelligence report purportedly said of the man.
The defendant "had conversations with him about research programs on small yield high penetration nuclear warheads recently authorized by US Congress (nuclear 'bunker-buster' warheads)," according to the report.
The court papers also described the defendants communicating with purported Russian agents using a method not previously described in espionage cases here: by establishing a short-range wireless network between laptop computers of the agents and sending encrypted messages between the computers while they were near each other.
The papers also said that on Saturday an undercover FBI agent in New York and another in Washington, both posing as Russian agents, met with two of the defendants, Anna Chapman at a New York restaurant and Mikhail Semenko on a Washington street corner blocks from the White House.
The complaint details how the group was allegedly provided tens of thousands of dollars to carry out its mission.
The complaint alleges the defendants were sent to the United States and told not to get government jobs but to set themselves up as "normal citizens." They were allegedly tasked to get in touch with "influential" Americans — college professors, contractors, congressional staffers.
Each was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.
Nine were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum 20 years in prison on conviction.
The cases were filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without notifying the U.S. attorney general.
One of the individuals charged, Christopher Metsos who is still at large, was accused of receiving and doling out money to the group, including getting payments during a brush-pass with a Russian government official who was affiliated with the Russian Mission to the United Nations in New York, according to the Justice Department.
Metsos also buried some money in rural New York that was later recovered about two years by two others in the group who had traveled from Seattle.
The others arrested and charged were identified as: Richard Murphy; Donald Heathfield; Tracey Lee Ann Foley; Michael Zottoli; Patricia Mills; Juan Lazaro; and Vicky Pelaez.
To that the second party was to respond, "No, I think it was the Hamptons."
At that point, the passport was to be turned over, according to the complaint.
'Search and develop ties'
According to court papers in the case, the U.S. government intercepted a message from SVR headquarters to two of the defendants in 2009. The message states: "You were sent to USA for long term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house, etc. — all these serve one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e., to search and develop ties in policy-making circles in the US and send intels (intelligence reports) to Center."
One message back to Moscow from the defendants focused on turnover at the top level of the CIA and the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
The information was described as having been received in private conversation with, among others, a former legislative counsel for Congress. The court papers deleted the name of the counsel.
Another intercepted message said one of the defendants living in New Jersey, known as Cynthia Murphy, "had several work-related personal meetings with" a man the court papers describe as a prominent New York-based financier who was active in politics.
In response, intelligence headquarters in Moscow described the man as a very interesting target and urged the defendants to "try to build up little by little relations. ... Maybe he can provide" Murphy "with remarks re US foreign policy, 'roumors' about White house internal 'kitchen,' invite her to venues (to major political party HQ in NYC, for instance. ... In short, consider carefully all options in regard" to the financier."
In advance of President Barack Obama's visit to Russia last year, intelligence headquarters in Moscow sent directives to the defendants living in New Jersey requesting information on the U.S. position regarding a new Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear program.
Moscow indicated that it needed intelligence reports "which should reflect approaches and ideas of" four sub-Cabinet U.S. foreign policy officials.
Nuclear info exchange
One of the defendants living in Boston allegedly made contact in 2004 with an unidentified man who worked at a U.S. government research facility.
"He works on issues of strategic planning related to nuclear weapon development," the defendants' intelligence report purportedly said of the man.
The defendant "had conversations with him about research programs on small yield high penetration nuclear warheads recently authorized by US Congress (nuclear 'bunker-buster' warheads)," according to the report.
The court papers also described the defendants communicating with purported Russian agents using a method not previously described in espionage cases here: by establishing a short-range wireless network between laptop computers of the agents and sending encrypted messages between the computers while they were near each other.
The papers also said that on Saturday an undercover FBI agent in New York and another in Washington, both posing as Russian agents, met with two of the defendants, Anna Chapman at a New York restaurant and Mikhail Semenko on a Washington street corner blocks from the White House.
The complaint details how the group was allegedly provided tens of thousands of dollars to carry out its mission.
The complaint alleges the defendants were sent to the United States and told not to get government jobs but to set themselves up as "normal citizens." They were allegedly tasked to get in touch with "influential" Americans — college professors, contractors, congressional staffers.
Each was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.
Nine were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum 20 years in prison on conviction.
The cases were filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without notifying the U.S. attorney general.
One of the individuals charged, Christopher Metsos who is still at large, was accused of receiving and doling out money to the group, including getting payments during a brush-pass with a Russian government official who was affiliated with the Russian Mission to the United Nations in New York, according to the Justice Department.
Metsos also buried some money in rural New York that was later recovered about two years by two others in the group who had traveled from Seattle.
The others arrested and charged were identified as: Richard Murphy; Donald Heathfield; Tracey Lee Ann Foley; Michael Zottoli; Patricia Mills; Juan Lazaro; and Vicky Pelaez.
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