A former captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces who last year admitted to spying for Russia was sentenced Friday to more than 15 years in prison by a federal judge in Alexandria.
Peter Dzibinski Debbins, 46, pleaded guilty in November to the espionage-related charge of conspiracy to gather or deliver defense information to aid a foreign government. He was living in Manassas, Va., before his August arrest, which followed a failed polygraph test, court records show.
“He conspired with the Russian intelligence agents for his entire service in the U.S. Army,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.
In court filings, Debbins said he was motivated by a combination of familial loyalty, financial opportunity and personal grievance against the U.S. Army. His mother came from the Soviet Union and he described himself as a “son of Russia,” according to court documents, who thought the United States needed to be “cut down to size.”