Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins was arrested on suspicion of detailing Russian intelligence operations on the Chemical and Special Forces unit of which he was a member before and while serving in the U.S. Army.
Lawyers with the Eastern District of Virginia say Debbins met with Russian operatives on several occasions from 1996 to 2011 and was even given a code name, “Ikar Lesnikov,” by Russian Intel agents. Debbins is also accused of signing a statement confirming that he wanted to serve Russia.
The FBI claims that “Mr. Debbins deliberately provided information to self-proclaimed members of Russia’s Intelligence Service, the GRU,” said James A. Dawson, acting assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington office.
“As a member of the U.S. military, the U.S. people and their colleagues should trust men and women Debbins with secrets and information,” said Alan E. Kohler, FBI assistant director of the Division for Intelligence, in a statement. statement. “Debbins apparently fell very short of this and exploited his role in the Army and its members of the service to benefit one of our top opponents for years.”
It was not immediately clear if Debbins had a lawyer.
Debbins, 45, of Gainesville, Virginia, served as an active member of the U.S. Army from 1998 until he was discharged in 2005. At the time, he was granted secret security clearance and was granted top secret security clearance with sensitive information for accessing information, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say Debbins’ contacts with Russia date back to 1996, when he participated in an independent study program and lived in Chelyabinsk, a city near the country’s air base. While there, Debbins apparently met a Russian intelligence agent and discussed his participation in the ROTC program as well as his plans to join the Army.
He also met his wife in Russia and his father-in-law was an officer in the Russian army, according to the indictment.
Debbins also allegedly tried to hide his relationship with Russian agents by not disclosing his contacts with them about U.S. government documents required for background checks, according to the indictment.
Debbins was accused of one count of conspiracy to gather or provide information on defense to assist a foreign government. If convicted, Debbins faces a maximum of life in prison.
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