The Cynthia Murphy neighbors thought they knew was a mom of two young girls who loved to garden and made sure to water her plants. Richard Murphy was the dad at the bus stop. The couple even had dogs and owned a Honda. They were unremarkable in many ways and that was the point. According to FBI documents, everything the Murphys, who were arrested Sunday in Montclair for being alleged Russian secret agents, did was in response to this directive.
You were sent to USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc. — all these serve one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US and send intels (intelligence reports) to C[enter].
A smiling Cynthia (pictured) comes across in FBI documents as taking a more active, even authoritarian role in the relationship. In 2004, she advised Richard as to how he could effectively gather information in the U.S. for provision to Moscow Center. She allegedly used contacts she had met in New York to convey information to the Center about prospects for a global gold market. FBI documents indicate that the couple were cautious about seeking employment in the U.S. government, fearing their “legends” weren’t strong enough to withstand a background check.
Cynthia, according to intercepted aural communications, advised Richard that he should improve his information-collection efforts and suggested he approach people who have access to important venues, such as the White House, since he could not expect to gain access himself. The FBI also documents Cynthia’s meetings with a prominent New York- based financier, whose name is omitted from the complaint. Superiors in Moscow instructed Cynthia to develop the relationship and try to gain information on foreign policy and access to political events. She also expressed her interest in taking a job with a private sector entity that would involve “lobbying” and “dealing with US and foreign governments.”
Cynthia and Richard also argued to live in Montclair, writing persuasively to Moscow Center that they should “own” the house.
In order to preserve positive working relationship, we would not further contest your desire to own this house. . . . We are under an impression that C. views our ownership of the house as a deviation from the original purpose of our mission here. We’d like to assure you that we do remember what i t is. From our perspective, purchase of the house was solely a natural progression of our prolonged stay here. I t was a convenient way to solve the housing issue, plus to ‘do as the Romans do’ in a society that values home ownership. . . . [W]e didn’t forget that the house was bought under fictitious names.
Politico reports that Cynthia worked as a tax consultant for Morea Financial Services. Her boss described her as a “terrific mom.”
Mother, spy, neighbor, wife: Who is Cynthia Murphy and how did she juggle this double life? And do you recognize her?
Dead giveaway was the neighbors observing pet Russian wolfhound responding to the name “Boris dah-ling.”
Fined by town for not recycling empty Smirnoff bottles, caviar tins, and back copies of Pravda…
Also, “Brothers Karamazov” over due 10 months at Bellevue Branch of library.
“The couple even had dogs”.
Well then!
My heart breaks for their two young girls. This was the talk at the gym this morning. A lot of moms knew these innocent kids.
Yes, lots and lots of questions…who are the Murphys? Are they U.S. citizens? What propelled them over to the dark side?
My heart breaks as well. Does anyone know where the girls are? Is there anything we can do for them?
Somewhere in Russia, our in-place agent families are starting to get nervous themselves…
What a story. I am so glad we have Liz George, Girl Reporter on the case!
I loved the quote in the NYTimes from Jessie Gugig, the teenage neighbor. “They couldn’t have been spies. Look what she did with the hydrangeas.” Nice one, Jessie!
And the alleged spies making a case to their higher-ups to purchase a home–it’s just priceless. “It was a convenient way to solve the housing issue, plus to ‘do as the Romans do’ in a society that values home ownership…” The only way it could possibly have been better is if they had added, “housing prices can only go up!”
I do feel bad for the kids, though. That’s the parents’ bigger crime.
You know, if this were April 1st (and if I hadn’t also seen it on TV) I would have said this is the Best Prank Perpetrated by the Baristas Ever! I mean, this is beyond the pale!
ps. Too bad she’s been carted away already, I could use some help with my hydrangeas.
B Net’s top-notch reporting on this intriguing story (almost) makes up for last week’s all-time low backyard weenie roast coverage.
Oh please……the big bad Russian spies were out to learn how we trade gold and what it takes to be invited to the White House. Big WHoop! All they had to do was watch the local news:
….Breaking Story – “uninvited guests, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, walk into the White House – through the back door”….and now a word from our sponsors…..”we’ll pay top dollar for your gold -send us your jewelry – Cash4Gold”
If they had jobs at Lawrence Livermore National Lab or were jihadists, then it matters. In this case, maybe we should be happy they were both working, paying their mortgage and funding our ridiculous property taxes in Montclair. Besides, it sounds like Mom did a great job with the hydrangeas. Leave the family alone!
I think we should send the FBI agents to Arizona where they can help with a real issue of national security.
It depresses me that in this day and age, I find this story strangely refreshing. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take Russian spies over an Al Qaeda sleeper cell anyday.
Today Russian spies, tomorrow Al Qaeda sleeper cells. Oh, I forgot…they’re already here. How silly of me.
Randall: I hope your comments are tongue in cheek.
Well this let’s me off the hook. I am definitely not the mom who makes sure to water her plants.
” and owned a Honda. They were unremarkable in many ways.”
best quote in many ways
At least they did not drive a Zil ! (#1 car in the U.S.S.R).
It’s odd that no one yet has mentioned the Sidney Poitier movie, “Little Nikita.”
Logically, if the children were actually born here, then they can stay here. If not, then they’d be repatriated. Probably should be. Anyone who’s ever read at least one LeCarre novel knows that there are always incidental casualties in the battles of spycraft. Such are to be expected. (And what, walleroo and Kristen Kemp and booker, you really think childhood in Montclair is preferable to one anywhere else? Well, to one in Cuba, you betcha, but…)
I also await the inevitable booting out from here of some diplomat who “ran” the spies or at least was apprised of their assignments. And the retaliatory ejection from Russia of a diplomat or a cultural attache or two.
“I also await the inevitable booting out from here of some diplomat who ‘ran’ the spies or at least was apprised of their assignments.”
Yes, and extra points if he/she works on Capitol Hill. And extra, extra points if said diplomat is part of the Obama hierarchy.
Seriously though, these folks weren’t actually spies, right? They neglected to register as “foreign agents” and they accepted money for their efforts in trying to get cozy with policy makers. If my in-car listening to WNYC is accurate, it’s a lot less malicious than being an actual SPY. I think they said the “spying” would carry a five year sentence and the money laundering would be up to 20 years. Tells you where our priorities are!
I mean, aren’t there other people in Montclair who have tried to get friendly with people at work and play for ulterior motives?
No, not really tongue in cheek. This story has “keystone cop” written all over it. I just can’t figure out if the bunggling idiots are the Russians or our FBI. Other than words like “encrypted messages” and “bags of money”, there’s not much to this story. WHAT DID THEY STEAL? WHAT INTELLIGENCE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE KREMLIN? There’s no real story here.
If the story had some substance, I’d take a different view. In today’s world where you can Google just about anything(correction – you might have to pay $39.99 for the good stuff like an old girlfriends whereabouts) on anybody, the idea of spies living among us and working in regular jobs is just damn funny. And to hear their neighbors accounts of the “strange family next door” – hell I’ve lived in this town for 25 years and I don’t talk to most of my neighbors either.
It’s just plain funny. It’s humor value could only be improved if the “raid” could be tied to a master plan hatched by the boneheads in the White House. Now that would be newsworthy news.
“Obama hiearchy”? The right wingnuts don’t waste any time, do they? I think the poster meant RUSSIAN diplomat…
She’s got a profile and over 100 contacts on Linkedin. I imagine some of those people will be getting a visit from the FBI sooner than later.
They couldn,t be that smart . They were paying those Montclair taxes
Not at all, shoebooty, now that I know our taxes are being paid by the Russian proletariat I’ve got a new respect for our fearless leaders who patriotically raise local taxes, helping to right the global trade imbalance and maintain US economic dominance!
She got pulled over for making an illegal right on red and told the cop….”I’m much too important to be captured”
Three things:
1. Did she have one of those knives that popped out of the toe of her shoe when she clicked them?
2. I’m checking my own parents’ papers.
3. Did they have any contact with Oppenheimer?
I think Randall’s post above pretty much hits the nail on the head. Boris and Natasha in suburbia, deep cover agents working to ferret out information that is readily available in the public domain. I can’t help contrasting these bozos with the hoards of highly educated Russians that are working every day in some of our biggest banking institutions, writing incredibly sophisticated financial models and analytics, and that have real insight in to how markets work. Somewhat different than Cynthia Murphy relating her prognostications on gold prices…
Sorry, that would be hordes, not hoards above. Also, forgot to mention tremendous influx of similarly skilled Chinese currently going to school on us across broad spectrum of American industry.
Our hearts break for those kids. Clearly the parents were irresponsible if their activities
put young children at risk. While I’m sure child welfare has the kids in custody, what has become of their dogs? Are they still in the house to fend for
themselves? Perhaps one of the neighbors could check on this.