Feds: National Guard Member Nabbed for 'Covert Relationship'

A National Guard member from New Mexico was arrested this week after allegedly trying to send photos of sensitive US military equipment to Russia and smuggle out a helicopter radio. Federal prosecutors say Canyon Anthony Amarys, 28, was caught in an undercover sting after meeting with an individual he believed was a Russian spy, reports Fox News. Amarys, of Alamogordo, was arrested Tuesday and faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $1 million fine if convicted.

Authorities allege Amarys photographed equipment at Fort Riley in Kansas and agreed to buy and send a Garmin helicopter radio for Russian military use. Per the indictment, Amarys met with an undercover employee in February at an Overland Park hotel, where he signed a document acknowledging a "covert relationship" with a Russian intelligence service. The undercover agent gave him cash to buy the radio and to photograph the Army installation. The FBI says agents observed and recorded Amarys' photos at Fort Riley.

In March, Amarys is said to have purchased the radio and attempted to mail it from Kansas to Romania—a destination investigators say was meant to disguise the radio's intended final stop in Russia. Authorities intercepted the package before it left the US. Prosecutors say Amarys confirmed on tape that he knew the radio would be illegally detoured, and that he'd pored over export laws ahead of the scheme. Per a DOJ release, the FBI and other agencies, including the Department of Commerce and the US Postal Inspection Service, continue to investigate. Amarys, who was indicted under the Export Control Reform Act, made his initial court appearance in Kansas on Thursday.