10 Russian spy suspects plead guilty at N.Y. hearing

washington post ^ | July 8 2010 | By Jerry Markon, Walter Pincus and William Branigin

[NoLibZone]

All 10 of the accused Russian spies held in the United States pleaded guilty Thursday at a hearing in Manhattan, a key step in a reported deal under negotiation with Russia for the largest swap of espionage detainees since the Cold War.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Farbiarz said at the start of the hearing in federal court that the 10 defendants wanted to enter guilty pleas. An 11th person indicted in the case is a fugitive.

Prosecutors agreed to allow the 10 to plead guilty to one charge each of secretly conspiring to act as agents of the Russian government, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years. Nine of the 11 defendants in the case were also originally charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Earlier, a source familiar with the case said the defendants could be sent to Russia as early as Thursday, apparently as part of a prisoner exchange involving a prominent Russian scientist, and possibly others, held in Russia on charges of spying for the West.

[Magic Fingers]

“Earlier, a source familiar with the case said the defendants could be sent to Russia as early as Thursday, apparently as part of a prisoner exchange involving a prominent Russian scientist, and possibly others...”

(Possibly) one of ours for ten of theirs? He must be a REALLY big deal.

[Diogenesis]

"Send the just caught spies home to us immediately.
Protect them from all interrogations and depositions
or they will it lead right back to the DNC and you and me,
in so many ways that clean up will required ten thousand Sandy Bergers."

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Don't we still execute spies ?

[xkaydet65]

I don’t think he’s a big fish. I think Obama was looking for any way to avoid a trial so he would not have to respond when the real purpose and achievements of the agents would be revealed. The Russians have freed a Russian who denies his guilt, who does not want to leave his family and come to the US and who had less than 3 years remaining on his sentence.In return they get ten long term dedicated, if less than competent, agents. Rudolf Abel for Francis Gary Powers this is not.

[gandalftb]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2548998/posts?page=24#24

[Enten]

At first, I thought, what a great negotiator that Obama......10 of theirs for 4 of ours. Then on second thought, 10 Russians for 4 of our agents sounds about equal.

[Drew68]

Don't we still execute spies ?

Not since 1953.

[SuzyQue]

Or, they want to get those 10 out of here as quickly as possible.

[bigoil]

I don’t think I’m ever going to stop throwing up.

[the_Watchman]

So, based on your research, there is a chance that the “trade” is for someone who isn’t even a spy! In that case, the ratio is 10:0! Sounds like the way Obama normally negotiates.

[livius]

They’re not our agents. One was a scientist who has been in jail for a long time on vague charges, 1 was someone accused of leaking secrets to the UK, and 2 were accused of “having contact with foreign intelligence services,” not necessarily ours.

They area all being permitted to relocate to countries outside of Russia.

In other words, Barry gave the Russians 10 of their agents, some of them naturalized Americans and one of them a native-born American, in exchange for 4 people who were not US agents at all and in fact do not even seem to have been particularly connected to the US.

[Enten]

It looks like then that my first sarcastic impulse was correct.....another weak negotiation to avoid taking a hard position. Thanks for the clarification.