Alleged Russian Spy Ring Subject of U.S. Charges in Manhattan

Three Russians charged by the U.S. with espionage allegedly sought secrets tied to the New York Stock Exchange and U.S. economic sanctions on Russia, even while one bemoaned his tedious job’s lack of a James Bond flair.

The U.S. investigation of the alleged spy ring started within months of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s June 2010 arrest of 10 Russian agents dubbed the “Illegals.” The 10 had been on “deep cover” assignments, some living in the U.S. for as long as a decade. That year, each of the 10 pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, after which they were returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange.