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Report: Alleged Russian spy worked for Microsoft

An alleged Russian spy, the 12th one the U.S. government has identified as a sleeper agent, worked as a software tester for Microsoft, The Washington Post reports.

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Don Reisinger
Former CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger

A 12th alleged Russian spy recently identified by the U.S. government has a tech connection: he worked for Microsoft.

Alexey Karetnikov has been deported to Russia because federal investigators believe he was "in the early stages" of alleged espionage, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The paper's anonymous government source asserted that Karetnikov had "obtained absolutely no information" while he was in the United States.

Karetnikov had been in the Seattle area and working for Microsoft as a software tester since October, the Post said. Microsoft confirmed to the Post that Karetnikov was, in fact, an employee since October.

Karetnikov faced a federal judge who ordered him back to Russia on Tuesday. The court said that if he ever came back to the United States without the government's permission, he "would face criminal and civil penalties," the Post reported.

Another of the alleged spies, Anna Chapman, had built a Web start-up called Property Finder to help New York City residents track down apartments.