Ten people arrested for allegedly spying for Russia, according to the US justice department

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Ten people have been arrested in America for allegedly spying for Russia, the US justice department announced this evening.

Eight of 10 were detained yesterday for supposedly carrying out "long-term, deep cover assignments" in the United States on behalf of the Russian government. Two others were arrested for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence operation.

All of them were charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.

The cases were filed in the US district court for the southern district of New York. Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without notifying the US attorney general.

Nine of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum 20 years in prison on conviction. FBI agents arrested the defendants, two of whom were named as Richard Murphy and Cynthia Murphy from Monclair, New Jersey. They were appearing today in a federal court in Manhattan.

Three other defendants also were being taken to federal court in Manhattan Vicky Pelaez and a defendant known as "Juan Lazaro" who were arrested at their residence in Yonkers, New York, and Anna Chapman, who was arrested in Manhattan yesterday.