On this day, Oct. 2, in 1984, Richard Miller became the first FBI agent in history to be arrested for espionage.
Miller was a bumbling agent known mostly for the food stains and crumbs that spilled on his clothes. He often took three-hour lunches at 7-Elevens near his Los Angeles office, gorging on candy bars and immersing himself in comic books.
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Miller was an easy target for Russian agent Svetlana Ogorodnikov. When the FBI learned of his secret affair, Miller claimed that he was trying to fool the KGB into thinking he was a double agent.
Miller and Sveltana were getting ready to travel to Vienna and when the FBI arrested them and her husband, Nikolai Ogorodnikov, for spying. Miller was accused of passing classified FBI counterintelligence documents to the Soviet agents in exchange for sexual favors, $50,000 in gold and $15,000 cash.
Miller was sentenced to two life sentences. In 1994, he was released from prison following the reduction of his sentence to 13 years. He lives in Utah.
– Scott McCabe
