Judge allows US espionage case against employee of Russian bank to go forward

A federal judge in New York has refused to throw out charges accusing a banker of participating in a Russian spy ring.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman rejected defense arguments Wednesday that Evgeny Buryakov was exempt from having to register as an agent of a foreign government because of his status as a visa-carrying official at a bank controlled by the Russian government.

Prosecutors told the judge that Buryakov's failure to register and his employment at a financial institution were part of his deception. They say his true mission was to gather sensitive economic intelligence for Russian operatives posing as diplomats.

The 40-year-old Buryakov remains jailed after pleading not guilty in January.