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Alexey Karetnikov: 'Russian Spy' Worked for Microsoft

by Jordan Yerman | July 14, 2010 at 09:02 am

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Alexey Karetnikov: Microsoft Employee Deported as '12th Russian Spy'

Another Russian spy was deported from the US on July 12. Alexey Karetnikov was working for Microsoft as a software tester. The US Department of Homeland Security stated that Karetnikov did not have access to any sensitive information; he was detained on immigration charges, since the DHS had no evidence that Karetnikov had successfully performed any espionage.

Aleksey Karetnikov admitted being in the US illegally, and agreed to be deported to avoid further court proceedings. It's not clear if Karetnikov is directly connected to the other 10 deported Russian spies. Indeed, the DHS did not charge Karetnikov with any crime beyond being in the USA illegally.

Database searches show that someone with Karetnikov's name had been living in an apartment in Redmond, Wash., since October. That man's Facebook page says he worked for Microsoft and a Romanian-based software company called Neobit.

It is unclear whether Karetnikov was part of the same spy ring that included Anna Chapman, who was based in the country's capital. One official told the Washington Post that Karetnikov had obtained a job in the US and was "just doing the things he needed to do to establish cover".

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YankeeJim

at 12:09 on July 14th, 2010

Microsoft is an equal opportunity offender.

Madalina Andrei (not verified)

at 09:54 on July 16th, 2010

In the article it is stated that "[...] he worked for Microsoft and a Romanian-based software company called Neobit [...]". As an official representative of the Romanian company NEOBIT SRL from Bucharest, I refute the information regarding the alleged Russian spy Alexey Karetnikov as being an employee of a Romanian company Neobit and consider the statement cited above represent a miss-information. Please read the open letter (attached) to "The Washington Post" from NEOBIT SRL, Bucharest, Romania, July 16, 2010 available online at docs.google.com/document/pub?id=15e_FRHJrY1-A88AgyWvXSfn0pdvOjtA-tgwmSn6P2dg and consider updating your article's content and/or port a reply. Thank you!