Accused Spies: Yes, We're Russian

Two suspects in an alleged spy ring have admitted they are Russian citizens living in the US under false identities, prosecutors said today. The defendants known as Michael Zottoli and Patricia Mills told authorities after their arrest their real names are Mikhail Kutzik and Natalia Pereverzeva, prosecutors said in a court filing. The pair were arrested in Arlington, Va., where they lived as a married couple with two young children.

Zottoli and Mills, along with a third defendant, Mikhail Semenko, remained jailed today after brief appearances in federal court during which they waived their right to a detention hearing. In the filing, prosecutors said Zottoli and Mills had $100,000 in cash and phony passports and other identity documents stashed in safe deposit boxes. Mills asked a family friend who has been caring for their two children since their arrest to take them to Russia to Mills' sister and parents, prosecutors allege. (More Russia stories.)