The former US Special Forces soldier allegedly agreed to provide Russian intelligence with information about America's national defense, Vinograd.us writes.
The Gainesville, Virginia native was arrested late last week for conspiring with Russian intelligence officials to provide them with information about the national security of the United States.
According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, 45-year-old Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, a former U.S. Army soldier, colluded with Russian intelligence agents. During this time, Debbins periodically visited Russia and met with Russian intelligence agents. In 1997, Russian intelligence officers assigned a code name to Debbins, and he signed some kind of statement that he wanted to serve for the good of Russia.
“Two spying arrests in one week, in Hawaii and now in Virginia, suggest that we must remain vigilant against our two greatest adversaries, Russia and China,” said John C. Demers, assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“Debbins broke his oath as a US Army officer, betrayed special forces and endangered our country's national security by exposing classified information to Russian intelligence officers, providing details of his unit, and suggesting other members of the special forces group that Russian intelligence might be trying to recruit as spies. Our country trusted this defendant very much, and he used this trust and turned it against the United States. »
During the conspiracy, Debbins allegedly provided Russian intelligence agents with information that he received as a member of the US Army, including information about chemical and special forces units.
In 2008, after leaving active service, Debbins revealed classified information about his previous activities while serving in the special forces to Russian intelligence officers. Debbins also provided Russian intelligence agents with the names and information of former members of his special forces group so that Russian agents could try to recruit them.
Debbins is currently accused of conspiracy to provide information about the national defense of the United States to agents of a foreign government. If the court finds him guilty, the former special forces officer faces the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
