NEW YORK (AP) — A Russian banker who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a Cold War-style spy ring could be spending 2½ years in a U.S. prison.
Evgeny Buryakov is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday in New York City federal court. He pleaded guilty in March.
Prosecutors say he teamed up with diplomats to gather sensitive economic intelligence on potential U.S. sanctions against Russian banks and on U.S. efforts to develop alternative energy resources.
The activities occurred from 2012 through January 2015.
The case was announced less than five years after the arrest of 10 covert agents. The sleeper cell was referred to as “The Illegals” by the foreign intelligence agency based in Moscow. Its members led ordinary lives for several years in the United States using aliases.
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