“That would be a standard procedure,” Attorney Office’s spokesperson said on Monday when asked whether that was done before the release of the statement, he said “I believe so.”
On Monday Federal prosecutors in New York levelled criminal charges against three men for their alleged involvement in a scheme to gather intelligence and recruit covert agents in the United States for Russia’s foreign intelligence service, US attorney general, Manhattan US attorney, and FBI announced in a Monday statement.
Evgeny Buryakov, who worked in a Manhattan bank, was placed under arrest earlier on Monday in Bronx, New York. He is scheduled to appear before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan federal court later today. Buryakov could get up to 15 years in prison, the statement said.
UPDATE: #NYC #Russian "#spy ring" reportedly attempted to harvest info on future potential US sanctions, alternative energy resources
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) January 26, 2015
Two other suspects, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy remain free as they no longer reside in the United States. Prior to leaving the country they have been protected by diplomatic immunity, officials said.
Russian embassy in Washington, DC is currently reviewing the information, saying that all comments would be preliminary at the moment.
