Anna Fermanova is Not a Spy and Not Russian, Says Lawyer
PLANO (CBS/KTVT) Anna Fermanova was quickly dubbed Russia's newest bombshell spy by tabloids, but there may be two small problems with that statement.
PICTURES: Anna Fermanova Accused of Smuggling
CBS affiliate KTVT spoke to her lawyer, and he claims his client is not a spy, nor is she Russian.
Fermanova's attorney Scott Palmer believes the 24-year-old's arrest has been blown out of proportion, largely because it occurred so close to the arrest and deportation of the members of an actual Russian spy ring.
Court documents show that Fermanova is a naturalized U.S. citizen who splits her time between Moscow and Plano, Texas where her parents reside, reports KTVT.
"She's concerned, she doesn't like the fact the New York press has labeled her the new sexy Russian spy. Again, she's not a spy and she's not Russian," he said. According to Fermanova's arrest affidavit, she's from Latvia, which, while it borders Russia, is not Russia.
Fermanova was arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle high-tech night vision scopes from New York to Moscow. The scopes require a license to be exported, which Fermanova allegedly did not have.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Crimesider says that Fermanova was taken aside at JFK International Airport by Customs & Border Patrol while she was waiting for her connecting flight to Russia.
The document says officials searched her luggage and found three night vision devices. One of the scopes, the Raptor 4X, allows the user to locate a target in "low light conditions" and is engineered to be attached to a rifle.
Palmer previously told The Smoking Gun that the allegations were "really silly," and claimed that Fermanova's husband simply intended to resell the night vision scopes, possibly to hunters.
Agents let Fermanova board her flight, but not before they seized the scopes.
Upon her return from Russian, Fermanova was arrested and is currently under house arrest in Plano. She is only allowed to travel to New York in order to make court appearances.
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July 27, 2010 - Anna Fermanova Tried to Smuggle High Tech Devices, Say Feds