Russian spies in New York City: Preet Bharara announces espionage charges against 3 men

1/27/2015

'More than two decades after the presumptive end of the Cold War, Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst under cover of secrecy,' Bharara said regarding the case where three men are facing espionage charges. Evgeny Buryakov could face up to 10 years in prison.

BY SHAYNA JACOBS , JOHN MARZULLI 

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District.

The Cold War remains alive and well in New York City, where a trio of Russian nationals were acting as spies, federal investigators said Monday.

"The arrest of Evgeny Buryakov and the charges against him and his co-defendants make clear that - more than two decades after the presumptive end of the Cold War - Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst under cover of secrecy," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

Buryakov, aka "Zhenya," was busted for posing as a banker to gather information, court papers contend.

Prosecutor Adam Fee said the evidence against Buryakov is “overwhelming.”

On "dozens if not hundreds" of recordings he was "caught doing the work of a spy" with his co-conspirators for the purpose of sending intelligence back to Moscow.

Fee said he spied in another country, also posing as a banker, before coming here.

"These recordings caught them red-handed, so to speak. They are talking about working as spies, explicitly talking about their efforts to recruit intelligence sources," Fee said.

Buryakov was working for SVR, the Russian spy agency, gathering information on potential U.S. sanctions against Russian banks and U.S. efforts to develop alternative energy resources, court filings claim.

His alleged co-conspirators both had diplomatic jobs and can't be prosecuted because of diplomatic immunity, the feds said.

Unlike sexy secret agent Anna Chapman, who became an international sensation as a sleeper spy for the Russians, these guy were practically falling asleep due to the mundane tasks.

Buryakov lamented how the job was nothing like a James Bond movie.

"F---! ... Not even close," Burykov complained to fellow spy Igor Sporyshev, according to a complaint unsealed in Manhattan Federal Court.

"Of course, I wouldn't fly helicopters, but pretend to be someone else at a minimum," he griped.

APAnna Chapman was arrested with 10 others for spying in 2010.

Sporyshev commiserated with the angst-stricken agent: "I also thought that at least I would go abroad with a different passport," he said.

In secretly recorded conversations, Sporyshev and a third alleged agent, Victor Podobnyy, also chewed the fat about the difficulties of recruiting sources in New York City.

Sporyshev wasn't getting anywhere with a young woman at a city university and explained why.

"They don't allow you to get close enough," he said, "and in order to be close you either need to f--- them or use other levers to influence them … it's very rare that something workable will come of it."

Sporyshev also tried to recruit a man who worked as a consultant, but the guy seemed to be more interested in making lots of money at a Russian energy company.

"I think he is an idiot and forgot who I am," Podobnyy said.

The trio used coded messages and old-fashioned spy techniques to move messages, including Buryakov slipping his comrades bags, magazines and slips of paper during clandestine handoffs outdoors.

FBI Assistant Director Randall Coleman said the arrest shows foreign espionage is "as pervasive today as it has ever been."

Buryakov was ordered held without bail Monday afternoon by Judge Sarah Netburn, who said he was an extreme flight risk.

"He has every incentive to flee," Netburn said.

Buryakov, 39, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

source