[url]http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128361718[/url]
[release]
A federal indictment against 11 people accused of operating under deep cover for the Russian intelligence service was unsealed in a federal district court in Manhattan on Wednesday, as U.S. and Russian diplomats negotiated how the group might be swapped for prisoners being held in Russia.
Five suspects in the case were hastily ordered to New York amid signs that a swap deal was in the works.
The indictment doesn't include any new charges, but it does indicate that federal prosecutors are looking to have the defendants forfeit any assets they had that were linked to the charge of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. That might mean that their homes would be turned over to the U.S. government.
Only nine of the 11 defendants are facing money-laundering charges. And none of the suspects has been directly charged with espionage. Instead they face charges of acting on behalf of a foreign government without registering.
The FBI arrested 10 of the 11 people implicated in the alleged spy ring last month. The 11th suspect was arrested in Cyprus and was released on bail. He has subsequently disappeared.
Prosecutors say that Russian intelligence dispatched the group to the U.S. years ago. Their assignment: to blend in and try to make friends with key policymakers and leaders in the U.S. and, as part of that friendship, glean any information they might have to offer.
Russian officials initially denied that the group was part of their intelligence service. Now, NPR has learned, discussions are under way for an old-fashioned spy swap: the 10 people arrested last month for some unknown number of people accused of spying for the U.S. in Russia.
The first hint of the negotiations came Tuesday when the bail hearing of one of the accused, a journalist named Vicky Pelaez, was postponed without warning. A judge had already ruled that she could be released on $250,000 bail. The government appealed the decision and a ruling was supposed to occur yesterday. Then it didn’t.
Sources tell NPR that by then the discussions with Russian officials had already started and having one of the defendants out on bail would have complicated the negotiations.
Officials tell NPR they expect the group will plead to lesser charges and then be deported to Russia. In exchange, U.S. officials have floated a list of names of prisoners in Russia who have been accused of spying for the U.S.
One of the people allegedly under discussion to be part of the exchange is a Russian scientist, Igor Sutyagin, who was accused of passing secrets to the CIA. He was convicted in a Russian court in 2004 of spying for the U.S. He was sentenced to some 15 years in prison.
The indictments unsealed Wednesday included the order to move all the suspects to New York to face charges.
Officials say that, too, could be a key aspect of the spy swap. Having the defendants all in the same place would make moving them to Russia that much easier.
Officials cautioned, though, that discussions were continuing and could break down.
[/release]
Pretty cool, I guess.. They should let this sexy [del]bitch[/del] mademoiselle stay though. :smug:
[IMG]http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9486/kaoobt75tvjl.jpg[/IMG]
Don't you dare call her a bitch! She is a nice woman! D:
The spies are the parents of my friend Juan from high school. Sad stuff :/
Just like old times, eh Russia?
Not surprising really. It's like the Cold War all over again.
[QUOTE=Edthefirst;23197471]Not surprising really. It's like the Cold War all over again.[/QUOTE]
Thank God! An enemy we can identify with!
I fucking called it.
That Red Head
shoula sesnt them to the firing squad
filthy communists
I hear she's quite the [I]under covers[/I] agent. ;)
I'd let her spy on me any day
Ahh, ma petite chou-fleur.
[QUOTE=Ridge;23197494]Thank God! An enemy we can identify with![/QUOTE]
The Daily Show said the same thing. Olivia Munn if I recall correctly.
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;23198075]The Daily Show said the same thing. Olivia Munn if I recall correctly.[/QUOTE]
She did, didnt she? The interview was pretty funny, since it was obvious she had no experience in the situation..
[QUOTE=Ridge;23198346]She did, didnt she? The interview was pretty funny, since it was obvious she had no experience in the situation..[/QUOTE]
Yup, but it is just like the Cold War. There's a certain nostalgia to it.
It certainly was more reassuring. The fear of getting nuked into oblivion was ever present, but you know the Reds would get it just the same...not quite the same today, always a fear in the back of your mind that your train or bus or building will be destroyed in a severely localized attack, possibly with you in it. Its a generalization, but 9/11 and 7/7 are the most obvious examples of today's threats.
[QUOTE=Sharp;23197243]
[IMG]http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9486/kaoobt75tvjl.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
I had no idea that Jennifer aniston was a fucking spy in disguise as an american actor.
According to Wikipedia, she's been described as a randy Russian with a penchant for whips and nipple clamps.
[QUOTE=chickenfanny;23197329]The spies are the parents of my friend Juan from high school. Sad stuff :/[/QUOTE]
russian spys are not mexicans
I would have sexual intercourse with her.
[QUOTE=TheSpy;23198433][IMG]http://www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/17652/17652.jpg[/IMG]
Oh Dear[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;23198456]That is one hot spy.[/QUOTE]
Agreed :smug:
Do you think the Russian Government knows that nudes of her exist on the internet?
i think the better question is how did sharp find all of those images
[editline]03:28AM[/editline]
omg i can see l4d2 in the last image
valve works with russian spies!!
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;23199186]Do you think the Russian Government knows that nudes of her exist on the internet?[/QUOTE]
Nudes of everything exist on the internet
[QUOTE=Edthefirst;23197471]Not surprising really. It's like the Cold War all over again.[/QUOTE]
Oh the irony.
[QUOTE=Laserbeams;23199300]Nudes of everything exist on the internet[/QUOTE]
Can I see your nudes?
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
