Russia says convicts former Moscow policeman of spying for CIA

[November 12, 2015]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - A former Moscow policeman was convicted of spying for the CIA and of passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence agency on Thursday and sentenced to 13 years in prison, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.

The FSB said that a Moscow regional court had found Evgeny Chistov guilty of state treason and said he had betrayed his country for cash and had himself initiated contact with the CIA.

"He was recruited by the CIA and fulfilled its tasks, collecting and handing over information classified as state secrets for three years in exchange for material reward," the FSB said.

It said the secrets concerned the work of Russia's interior ministry and that Chistov had fully admitted his guilt during court hearings.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; editing by Polina Devitt)

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