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Couple Charged With Spying For Cuba ( Why did it take 30 years to catch them? )
Washington Times ^ | June 6, 2009 | Ben Conery

Posted on 06/06/2009 8:15:32 AM PDT by kellynla

They wouldn't have looked out of place at a yacht club with him dressed in a blue blazer and khakis and her sporting a soft tan but federal authorities say the appearance of Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, Gwendolyn Myers, belied a darker truth: For three decades, the couple spied for the Cuban government.

Mr. Myers, a 72-year-old former State Department analyst with a top-secret security clearance, and Mrs. Myers, 71, appeared in federal court to answer charges of conspiracy to act as illegal agents of the Cuban government, passing classified information, and wire fraud. They each face 35 years in prison if convicted.

They pleaded not guilty to all charges during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola.

Mr. Myers, who authorities say was known as "Agent 202" to his Cuban handlers, rubbed the corner of his white mustache while thumbing through court documents during the arraignment. Mrs. Myers, who authorities say was called "Agent 123," and "Agent E-634," sat with her back completely straight but could not read the charges against her because her glasses had been left in the couple's District apartment. They were arrested at a hotel in Washington.

They will be held without bond until a detention hearing Wednesday morning, when a judge will determine whether they can be released before trial.

Prosecutors want to keep the Myerses in jail, arguing that they are serious flight risks.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Harvey said the couple has $500,000 in a brokerage account and owns a family compound in Nova Scotia. He said Mr. Myers told an undercover FBI agent about the couple's desire to move to Cuba, saying "our idea is to sail home."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: agent123; agent202; bhocuba; bhodoj; cuba; cubanspies; espionage; fbi; novascotia; spies; waltermyers
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"We remain vigilant in protecting our nation's secrets and in bringing to justice those who compromise them," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security.

Bravo Sierra!


1 posted on 06/06/2009 8:15:33 AM PDT by kellynla
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To: kellynla

Yeah, that’s what amazes me — 30 years worth of spying, and they only catch them after the fact? Sheesh, I’d be embarrassed, not proud...


2 posted on 06/06/2009 8:18:20 AM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!)
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To: kellynla

Now that Obama is our dear leader their spying has become unnecessary


3 posted on 06/06/2009 8:18:56 AM PDT by slumber1
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To: kellynla

these aren’t the only spies in the state department. They need to flip these two and find out others whom they suspect.


4 posted on 06/06/2009 8:23:44 AM PDT by GEC (We're not drilling in ANWR because....)
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To: kellynla
I heartily agree with your "bravo sierra" and find this whole thing damned curious.

"The FBI said they communicated with their Cuban handlers using a short-wave radio kept in their apartment."

I look at this statement and can only ask, "Were there any secret decoder rings involved?" Something very strange and fishy about this whole thing.

5 posted on 06/06/2009 8:24:01 AM PDT by davisfh ( Islam is a very serious mental illness)
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To: kellynla

They have $500,000 in a brokerage account, a family compound in Nova Scotia, and a large sailing yacht. Yet another example of liberal elitists whose material pursuits don’t comport with their ideology.


6 posted on 06/06/2009 8:29:12 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: kellynla

Why did it take 30 years to cach them? Because trying to find communist sympathisers in State is like finding a needle in a haystack.


7 posted on 06/06/2009 8:29:14 AM PDT by sanchmo (If something cannot go on forever, it will stop)
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To: slumber1
Now that Obama is our dear leader their spying has become unnecessary.

Obvious! Now the treasonous duo can be promoted to ambassadors!

8 posted on 06/06/2009 8:29:40 AM PDT by Minutemen ("It's a Religion of Peace")
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To: GEC

You’re right — the state dept is riddled with ignoramuses and Castro sympathizers — which is how he came to power in the first place.


9 posted on 06/06/2009 8:29:51 AM PDT by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
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To: sanchmo

I can’t imagine why Cuba even bothered to pay him. What did he do that he wouldn’t have done anyway?


10 posted on 06/06/2009 8:32:37 AM PDT by Mountain Troll (My investment plan - Canned food and shotguns)
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To: dayglored
... 30 years worth of spying, and they only catch them after the fact?

Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 or better. Robert Hanssen spied for the Soviet Union from within the FBI for 20 years. John Anthony Walker Jr., retired USN Warrant Officer, spied for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985.

A problem for the State Department is that the Myers' were ideological spies more than money hungry. Far more difficult to detect by external factors in a free society.

11 posted on 06/06/2009 8:36:49 AM PDT by SES1066 (Cycling to conserve, Conservative to save, Saving to Retire, will Retire to Cycle.)
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To: kellynla
Good question. I heard on Fox all they took for payment was a few medals from Castro and a short wave radio. No money changing hands is probably the reason why they kept under the radar. You know how they say to always follow the money. If there is none to follow, then viola. They did it because they love Cuba.

They should be dealt with severely by the way, but my guess is they will get a slap.

12 posted on 06/06/2009 8:38:41 AM PDT by b4its2late (I love defenseless animals, especially in a good gravy.)
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To: dayglored

And they get to keep their pensions- probably caught from info given up by one of the last few “Cuban” spies convicted.


13 posted on 06/06/2009 8:47:14 AM PDT by captbarney
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To: kellynla

Are they going to be executed?


14 posted on 06/06/2009 8:49:15 AM PDT by ikka (Brother, you asked for it!)
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To: sanchmo
Why did it take 30 years to cach them? Because trying to find communist sympathisers in State is like finding a needleHAY in a haystack.

There...fixed it for ya.

15 posted on 06/06/2009 9:07:38 AM PDT by TrueKnightGalahad (When you're racing...it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.)
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To: kellynla

Give these two Spys the Rosenberg Treatment.


16 posted on 06/06/2009 9:10:31 AM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country! What else needs said?)
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To: sanchmo

Actually I suspect that if you walked into the state Dept with a shotgun and just started firing, your chances of hitting communists would be close to 1 in 10. Hell, it’s probably 3% in the general population, 30% in academia.


17 posted on 06/06/2009 9:10:56 AM PDT by GEC (We're not drilling in ANWR because....)
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To: sanchmo
Why did it take 30 years to cach them? Because trying to find communist sympathisers in State is like finding a needle in a haystack.

I'd say it's because finding communist sympathizers in State is like trying to find a haystack in a barn, but finding someone to prosecute communist sympathizers in State is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

18 posted on 06/06/2009 9:21:36 AM PDT by Ahithophel (Padron@Anniversario)
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To: TrueKnightGalahad; sanchmo

Actually, I was going to say “... like finding a needle in a pile of needles.”, but that works just as well.


19 posted on 06/06/2009 9:30:41 AM PDT by tarawa
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To: GEC

30% in academia? I’d bet twice or three times that number, especially at places like Berkly, Wayne State University, Columbia University, University of Michigan...


20 posted on 06/06/2009 9:34:49 AM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country! What else needs said?)
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