Ten Russian spy suspects pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in New York and were promptly ordered deported to Russia as part of a deal under which U.S. officials said Moscow would release four prisoners accused of spying for the West.
Each of the 10 admitted acting secretly as an agent for Russia in violation of U.S. law requiring foreign agents to register with the government. U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood then sentenced each of them to time served since their June 27 arrests and ordered their deportation.
Documents submitted in federal court in Manhattan said Russia has agreed to release four prisoners incarcerated there "for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies."
The four were not immediately named, but reports from Moscow Wednesday indicated that the government was preparing to release a prominent Russian scientist who has been imprisoned for 11 years.
Three of the Russian prisoners were convicted of espionage and are serving lengthy prison terms, the court documents said. All have served at least "a number of years" in prison, and several are in poor health, according to the documents. The Russian government has agreed to release them and their families for "resettlement," the documents said.
Three were accused by Russia of contacting Western intelligence agencies while they were working for the Russian government or its Soviet predecessor, according to the documents. They said some of the detainees worked for the Russian military "and/or for various Russian intelligence agencies."
The deal represents the largest swap of espionage detainees since the Cold War.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Farbiarz said at the start of Thursday's hearing 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. Those charges were dropped as part of the plea deal. ad_icon
Earlier, a source familiar with the case said the defendants could be sent to Russia as early as Thursday.
In entering their guilty pleas, five of the 10 revealed their real Russian names publicly for the first time. The couple known as Richard and Cynthia Murphy gave their names to the court as Vladimir and Lydia Guryev, and the couple who called themselves Donald Howard Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley said their real names were Andrey Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova. The defendant known as Juan Lazaro said he was Mikhail Anatonoljevich Vasenkov.
A U.S. official confirmed Wednesday that talks between the two governments on a swap began last week shortly after the June 27 arrest of the suspects.
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