Arrested Russian spies used Irish identities and passports

Posted on Monday, June 28, 2010 at 10:22 PM

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Members of a Russian spy ring arrested in the United States at the weekend used Irish names and false Irish passports.

One of the spies, American alias Richard Murphy, traveled in February this year to Rome to collect an Irish passport which bore the name Eunan Gerard Doherty and which had been issued in Dublin in July 2001.

He then flew on to Moscow and returned on March 3 with a mysterious laptop which he later tuned over to another Russian agent in New York

In order to get the Irish passport in Rome Murphy was told to would approach a Russian operative and ask, "Excuse me, could we have met in Malta in 1999?"

"Yes indeed,” the answer should be. “I was in La Valetta, but in 2000.”

According to Moscow’s instructions, the stranger then slipped the spy a false Irish passport, for travel on to Russia.

The New York Times reports that "forged passports of several countries" were found among those who were arrested which may very well include Irish ones.

Ten people in all have been arrested with one other person being sought.

Three of those arrested used Irish names, Richard and Cynthia Murphy and Tracey Foley. They worked undercover for the SVR the Russian Republic's successor to the KGB.

The documents also detailed what the FBI called the “Illegals Program,” an ambitious, long-term effort by the S.V.R., the successor to the Soviet K.G.B., to plant Russian spies in the United States to collect information.

The FBI described the "Illegals" as being paired in Russia "so that they can live together and work together in a host country, under the guise of a married couple. Illegals who are placed together and cohabit in the country to which they are assigned will often have children together".

Richard and Cynthia Murphy appeared to be living a typical American middle class life in Montclair ,New Jersey a New York suburb.

The Murphy family had arrived less than 2 years ago and were quickly liked by the neighbors.

However their real purpose according to the FBI was very different.

The Feds displayed an intercepted message from headquarters in Moscow which the couple received.

It read:
"You were sent to the USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank account, car, house … all these serve one goal: fulfill your mission,"

In one intercepted message, Richard and Cynthia Murphy had to defend buying the house in New Jersey.

"We are under the impression that C.(headquarters) views our ownership of the house as a deviation from the original purpose of our mission here," they said in an intercepted message. "We'd like to assure you that we do remember what it is. From our perspective, purchase of the house was solely a natural progression of our prolonged stay here. It was a convenient way to solve the housing issue, plus to 'do as the Romans do' in a society that values home ownership."

Court documents reveal that Cynthia Murphy had developed very close links with a very well connected New York financier and political contributor who was also very friendly with a key cabinet member.

And there are also allegations of fabricated Canadian passports, Irish and Latino surnames, and fake college diplomas.

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Monsoonman | Jul 03, 2010, 11:45 AM EDT

WoundedKnee? You sure that wasn't a head wound? Perhaps you should hook up the pc to a breathalyzer so it keeps you from clicking "comment" when your bac is over .20.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 01, 2010, 08:08 AM EDT

Monsoonman: It's disgusting to see how you justify murder. You're evil.

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Monsoonman | Jun 30, 2010, 07:58 PM EDT

The Rosenbergs were executed for stealing nuclear secrets, so yes it is a serious offense against my country. But i know it doesn't rank in importance to the death of one hamas terrorist who himself was responsible for hundreds of murders of innocents.

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Monsoonman | Jun 30, 2010, 06:54 PM EDT

Stealing nuclear & high tech military secrets would be in the same league as murder, so is economic espionage.

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shuvonn | Jun 30, 2010, 09:11 AM EDT

Was there a murder attached to the usage of these passports?

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Monsoonman | Jun 29, 2010, 09:21 PM EDT

Do you think Ireland will condemn Russia for using fake passports?

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PhlutiePhan | Jun 29, 2010, 07:34 PM EDT

This is even more shocking than the "hand ball".

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shuvonn | Jun 29, 2010, 07:06 PM EDT

Do ya have a better idea for a party George? I mean Fine Gael have NEVER been able to get a majority and form a government on their own without a coalition, Labor is a small party, Sinn Fein is also small and the Progressive Democrats ended up not being so progressive after all....

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GeorgeDavis | Jun 29, 2010, 02:11 PM EDT

Can we be surprised by all of this? Fianna Fail has devalued Irish citizenship by issuing it left right and center. If you go into Dublin's Passport Office today you'll see dozens of people collecting Irish passports who are clearly not Irish. Fianna Fail has urinated on Irish nationality.

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shuvonn | Jun 29, 2010, 12:37 PM EDT

Sheesh looks like everyone wants an Irish passport...

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hyattsville | Jun 29, 2010, 12:21 PM EDT

Russian Spies, how quaint. I though those guys were rendered obsolete by computer hackers.

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