A Baker & MacKenzie lawyer has been expelled from Russia after apparently refusing to become a spy.
Upon arrival from the US Tom Firestone* was hauled out of the passport queue at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and interrogated for 16 hours. He was eventually declared an undesirable and put on a flight back to America, but sources for The New York Times claim Firestone was expelled for refusing an invitation to spy for FSB (Russia's counter-intelligence agency).
It is not difficult to see why the FSB might want to turn someone like Firestone. Before he joined Bakers last September, the foreign corruption expert was a legal advisor for the US Embassy in Moscow. Before that, he was a New York US attorney specialising in Italian mafia prosecutions.
Firestone appears to be the latest victim in the tit-for-tat counter-intelligence spat between the US and Russia. Bakers denied he was up to anything interesting, saying "we have no reason to believe that our colleague has engaged in wrongdoing of any kind. Until the reasons for the Russian government's action are clear, we will have no further comment. Mr. Firestone is now working in our Washington, D.C., office".
Except, that is, when he's wearing a tux and smuggling defectors out of Russia down an oil pipeline. Don't worry Firestone, your secret's safe with RoF.
*allegedly not a codename
Tip Off ROF
Upon arrival from the US Tom Firestone* was hauled out of the passport queue at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and interrogated for 16 hours. He was eventually declared an undesirable and put on a flight back to America, but sources for The New York Times claim Firestone was expelled for refusing an invitation to spy for FSB (Russia's counter-intelligence agency).
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Bakers |
It is not difficult to see why the FSB might want to turn someone like Firestone. Before he joined Bakers last September, the foreign corruption expert was a legal advisor for the US Embassy in Moscow. Before that, he was a New York US attorney specialising in Italian mafia prosecutions.
Firestone appears to be the latest victim in the tit-for-tat counter-intelligence spat between the US and Russia. Bakers denied he was up to anything interesting, saying "we have no reason to believe that our colleague has engaged in wrongdoing of any kind. Until the reasons for the Russian government's action are clear, we will have no further comment. Mr. Firestone is now working in our Washington, D.C., office".
Except, that is, when he's wearing a tux and smuggling defectors out of Russia down an oil pipeline. Don't worry Firestone, your secret's safe with RoF.
*allegedly not a codename
Comments
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He even has a cool spy name. I would if the Ruskies would have approached him if his name was Gavin Sidebottom? I suspect not!!
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I am open to approaches about spying for you.
I'm sure we can come to some off-the-books arrangement, preferably in crisps and lottery tickets.
Rgds
(the real) Gavin Sidebottom