They remarried under their assumed names in 1988, Mr Thomas said. Walter Primrose was a former technician for the US Coast Guard, allegedly under an assumed name.
"The odds are like one-in-a-trillion that they found her and used her name. "I still can't believe it happened," Mr Montague, 91, told The Associated Press. John Montague lost his daughter, Julie, in 1968 when she was just three weeks old. 'Let kids rest in peace'įor one family whose deceased child's name was stolen, the news came as a shock. Mr O'Grady said Hawaii, a major military centre, "is a prime target for a lot of espionage and such".
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"The Coast Guard has a unique perspective on our vulnerabilities," Mr O'Grady said, including how to infiltrate the country through water ports. He noted the Coast Guard works closely with the Army and Navy, helps with counterintelligence and serves as the country's maritime border patrol. The secret clearance Mr Primrose had was able to provide him with access to information that was "enormously valuable to our enemies", said Honolulu defence attorney Kevin O'Grady, who is not involved in the case. Access to 'enormously valuable' US security information They added that Mr Primrose, a former avionics electrical technician in the Coast Guard, had the skills to communicate secretly if released. Prosecutors wanted the pair held without bail, claiming there was a high risk that they would flee if freed. Mr Primrose's lawyer declined to comment. "This has all been blown way out of proportion. "She wants everyone to know she's not a spy," Ms Kau said. Ms Kau said that, even if the couple had used new identities, they had lived law-abiding lives for three decades. Gwynn Morrison allegedly lived as Julie Lyn Montague for decades. Mr Morrison's lawyer, Megan Kau, said her client had never lived in Romania, and that she and Mr Primrose had posed for photos in the uniform as a joke. Prosecutors say fraudulently obtained drivers' licences, passports and US Defense Department credentials helped Mr Primrose receive security clearances, both as a contractor and with the US Coast Guard.įaded polaroid photos allegedly show the pair wearing the uniforms of former Russian Spy Agency the KGB.Ī "close associate" said Ms Morrison lived in Romania while it was part of the Soviet Union, Mr Muehleck said. The pair have both been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence against the US, false statement in passport application and aggravated identity theft.
They are also believed to have used other aliases, according to Assistant US Attorney Thomas Muehleck. The pair, both in their 60s, allegedly lived for years under the names Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, respectively. Federal court records unsealed in Honolulu revealed US defence contractor Walter Glenn Primrose and his wife, Gwynn Darle Morrison, were arrested on Friday in Kapolei on Hawaii's Oahu Island.