You would be correct except for one thing, OUR spooks would have gone to the boss, in this case the DA.
On the other hand, foreign spooks would go to the lowest possible level that they could get away with (that would be able to "dispose" of the case), in this case the ADA.
And once a favor like that is called in, not only does the foreign controller "own" his mark, but he's got ready blackmail material with the ability (or more accurately, just the threat) to "get the mark's probation revoked".
Our guys go to the boss. Their guys try to keep it to the lowest possible level. SOP
except for one thing, OUR spooks would have gone to the boss Maybe, but I have trouble with that. I did some research on that ADA, looking for possible connections to the Clintons or the Democratic Party, or lesbian activism, or any of that. I found nothing but a long-time prosecutor who seemed to be professional and diligent.
Call me naive, but I don't think most people in small-town America are that easily corrupted. I could see her getting a talk from a spooky Fed, and agreeing to squelch the case for "national security," but if Boris Batenov and Natasha show up with a suitcase full of cash, she's as likely to freak as go along.
I wonder if we'll ever find out. There are probably spooks on both sides of that guy, his wife could be a KGB spy; there's plenty of mystery to go around.