The U.S. Department of Justice announced late June that 11 individuals have been arrested as the result of an FBI counterintelligence investigation — although one skipped bail in Cyprus. The remaining ten individuals are standing trial accused of acting as undeclared agents of a foreign country (in this case, Russia) — a lesser charge than espionage — which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment. Members of the group have also been accused of money laundering. The case represents one of the biggest counterintelligence investigations in U.S. history, and has been under way for 10 years. During the course of investigation, the FBI recorded conversations in the suspects’ homes, intercepted radio and electronic messages and conducted surveillance on them in and out of the United States. The results of the investigation have led the FBI to allege in its criminal complaint that the individuals were instructed to operate under deep cover to inconspicuously attempt to gain access to critical information. This graphic shows STRATFOR’s understanding of the linkages among the accused and their alleged relationships with Russia. A complete breakdown of available information on this case can be found in STRATFOR’s Security Weekly.
