Alleged Russian Spies to Appear in Court, Swap Talk Continues
VOA News 08 July 2010
Ten members of a suspected Russian spy ring are set to appear in a U.S. court, as indications grow that they may soon be swapped for alleged American spies jailed in Russia.
The alleged Russian spies are scheduled to enter pleas Thursday afternoon at a federal court in New York City, where the charges against them were filed.
Robert Baum, a lawyer for suspect Anna Chapman, said there may be a quick resolution to the case. He suggested his client might accept a deal to plead guilty and be deported.
Earlier, the family and lawyer of a Russian scientist jailed for spying for the United States said he may be swapped for the Russians held in the U.S.
There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the scientist, Igor Sutyagin. Some Russian news agencies say he has already arrived in the Austrian capital, Vienna. Neither Russian nor U.S. officials have commented.
Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors formally charged the defendents with conspiring to act as secret agents. Nine of them were also charged with money laundering.
An 11th suspect remains at large, after being arrested in Cyprus and disappearing when he was released on bail.
All the accused quietly lived and worked in the United States while allegedly trying to gather information on U.S. nuclear weapons and politics for Russian intelligence.
Sutyagin, a Russian nuclear expert, was arrested in 1999 and accused of passing secrets to a British company that Russia claimed was a front for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2004. Sutyagin's father says his son is not a spy and never pleaded guilty.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, Reuters.
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