Couple Accused of Spying for Cuba

June 5, 2009— -- A former State Department official and his wife worked as spies for the Cuban government for 30 years, according to a federal indictment announced today.

FBI agents arrested Walter Kendall Myers, 72, and Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, 71, in Washington, D.C. Thursday. The pair, known as "Agent 202" and "Agent 123" or "Agent E-634," respectively, face charges including fraud, conspiracy and acting as agents of a foreign government.

The couple allegedly had a secret meeting with Fidel Castro himself in January 1995, and traveled to Cuba or met with Cuban agents in other countries.

According to court documents filed in the case, Kendall Myers, who obtained a top secret clearance during his career, reviewed classified documents at the State Department, then copied details in notes or remembered their contents to relay to his handlers during meetings.

The court documents don't specify which materials Myers allegedly used, but a criminal complaint filed with the case alleges that he admitted to taking sensitive information while employed as a senior analyst by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, or INR.

Court documents say that analysis of "Myers' classified Department of State work computer hard drives reveals that from Aug. 22, 2006, until his retirement on Oct. 31, 2007, Kendall Myers, while employed at INR, viewed in excess of 200 sensitive or classified intelligence reports concerning the subject of Cuba. ... Of these reports concerning Cuba, the majority were classified and marked secret or top secret."

The Myerses and their attorneys could not be reached for comment.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ordered a "comprehensive review of this case" and asked for "a thorough assessment of past and current Department of State security procedures and practices" and recommendations for future practices, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a statement.

"In addition, the secretary directed the department to conduct a comprehensive damage assessment in coordination with the intelligence community in accordance with established damages protocols and regulations," Crowley said.

The FBI and State Department worked together on the investigation, officials said.