NATION : Bail Denied in Soviet Spy Case
A federal magistrate today ordered a former Marine and Air Force communications officer held without bail on charges that he passed classified material to the Soviet Union.
Magistrate W. Curtis Sewell said he found “a preponderance of evidence” against Frank Nesbitt, 44, to send the case to a grand jury.
Nesbitt was arrested last week at a hotel in McLean, Va., by the FBI and was charged with delivering and attempting to deliver unauthorized information to agents of the Soviet government.
At today’s hearing, FBI Special Agent Lizzie Cassell said Nesbitt left his home near Memphis last June and began an odyssey that took him from Central and South America to the Soviet Union and back to Guatemala.
She said Nesbitt gave classified communications intelligence information to the Soviets during his 10-day stay in Moscow and provided Soviet agents with diagrams and charts.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
