NEW YORK (Sputnik) — Russian national Evgeny Buryakov, who was indicted in February for gathering information for the Russian intelligence service, will stand trial after a motion to dismiss his case were rejected, New York Judge Richard Berman said on Wednesday.
“Motion denied,” Berman ruled, setting a trial date for December 7, 2015.
Berman rejected arguments that Buryakov’s employment at Vnesheconombank (VCB) in the United States allowed him to bypass registration of his foreign government affiliation, which if not done constitutes a federal offense.
Buryakov’s attorneys argued the opposite, noting that the VCB chairman is appointed by Russia’s president.
“Clearly he was working for a foreign government, it’s not a loophole,” Buryakov’s attorney Scott Hershman said. “There was no hiding that he was here, working for VCB. He is a publically acknowledged public official.”
“VCB does not qualify as the Russian Government,” Judge Berman stated.
In January 2015, Buryakov was arrested in New York on accusations of gathering intelligence and recruiting agents for Russia’s 's covert overseas operations. On February 11, Buryakov pleaded not guilty.
Two other Russian nationals, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobny, were also charged in the case, but remained free as they no longer reside in the United States.
Following Buryakov’s arrest, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich accused the United States of detaining Russian citizens without evidence. Lukashevich warned such anti-Russian campaign would undermine relations between the two countries.
If convicted, Buryakov may face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
