In the 1990s, former FBI agent LaRae Quy was deep in the world of covert operations. The Cold War had recently ended but the era of spies and espionage was far from over.
Quy’s job was to take on fake identities and convince Russian spies to defect and join the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
However, when Quy met a Russian spy she connected with on a personal level, she decided to break her cover.
Former FBI Agent LaRae Quy tells the story of recruiting a Russian spy on the Crime Insiders podcast:
When Quy found Igor*, a Russian spy, at a conference in the US, she sat down beside him and introduced herself.
Quy knew Igor’s family was still in Moscow, and that if he didn’t return to Russia, his family could be under threat.
Quy said a “true intelligence officer” would typically work to develop contacts at events like this, but Igor appeared disinterested, doodling on the event handout in his lap. They began talking about art, family and values.
“It became very obvious, right away, that his heart wasn’t in being a spy,” Quy said.
Quy handed Igor her business card, and once he noticed the FBI logo on it, his hands started shaking.
“A hardened spy would have maybe taken the card and ripped it in half,” she said. “They never would have talked about what was really going on inside”.
Quy also handed Igor a coupon for an upcoming art exhibition she planned to attend with her husband.
“I said, we’re going to be there. This is what it is. Love to see you there. No strings attached. He showed up.”
*The name Igor is a pseudonym
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