U.S. Return After Jail in Russia

Eight months after his arrest on spying charges, and eight days after his release from a Russian prison, Edmond Pope is finally home.

A light snow fell as Pope and his wife, Cheri, returned at dawn Friday to the home they share with their 21-year-old son, Dustin, and his wife and child.

Pope, 54, had little to say to the handful of reporters and photographers gathered at his home, explaining, “We’re awfully tired right now.”

The businessman and former Penn State University researcher was arrested April 3 in Moscow, where he was charged with spying.

Despite his claims of innocence, Pope was convicted Dec. 6 of buying top-secret blueprints of a high-speed Russian navy torpedo. Pope said the plans could not be considered secret because they already had been sold abroad and published in open sources.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who cited Pope’s health problems and Russia’s desire to maintain good relations with the United States.

Pope has a thyroid disorder and has suffered from a rare form of bone cancer. While in prison, Pope complained of headaches, dizziness and back pain, and a lump appeared on his neck. His trial was suspended twice after Pope suffered seizures brought on by back pain.

Pope was released Dec. 14 and flown to a U.S. Air Force base in Germany, where he was examined by doctors. He returned to the United States on Sunday, going first to Oregon to see his parents. His father is dying of cancer.

A retired U.S. Navy captain, Pope came to State College in 1994 as a researcher at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, which specializes in naval science and technology.

He left Penn State in 1997 to start CERF Technologies International Inc., which specializes in information about foreign maritime technology, and another company, TechSource Marine Group Ltd. He frequently traveled to Russia on business.

Pope was the first American convicted of spying in Russia since U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1960, at the height of the Cold War. Powers’ spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, and he was imprisoned there for two years.