Russian spy couple lived quietly undercover for years in Hawaii, U.S. says

A couple who lived quietly in Kapolei, Hawaii, for years turned out to be Russian spies, federal agents with the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service revealed on Tuesday.

Walter Glenn Primose, also known as Bobby Edward Fort and Gwynn Darle Morrison, also known as Julie Lyn Montague were both arrested in a raid last Friday.

The two are charged with identity theft, lying on their passport applications, and conspiracy to commit a crime against the United States.

According to government records, the couple stole the identities of two Texas babies that died in the 1980s. They then used their identity to obtain Social Security cards, passports, and driver's licenses.

Authorities released images of Primrose and Morrison in uniforms of the KGB, the former spy agency of the Soviet Union.

Walter Glenn Primose enlisted in 1994 in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he could have gathered valuable information to hand over to the Russians. He worked there as an aviation technician for 22 years.

Alleged Russian spies lived in Kapolei for years. Federal agents said KGB agents Walter Primose & Gwynn Morrison, stole the identities of dead babies from Texas in the 80's. Primrose then joined the Coast Guard. More here: https://t.co/U5wdWGxnMy #hawaiinewsnow pic.twitter.com/eFNqw6jqdS

— Lynn Kawano (@LynnKawano) July 27, 2022

After retiring from the Coast Guard in 2016, Primrose worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense until his arrest.

"It is absolutely amazing to me the amount of time and effort the Russians put into this particular project. This was not a quick hit to steal some records. This took decades in development," said retired FBI agent Tom Simon.

The U.S. government is requesting that the couple be held without bail, citing the risk of flight. A judge will decide on this request on Thursday.