The Zebra Network

WASHINGTON

Accused Russian spy network kingpin James Franklin O’Haire, 42, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of espionage and income tax evasion.

Along with his younger brother, U.S. Air Force Captain Liam Casey O’Haire, 37, who pleaded guilty to the same charges last week, James O’Haire will likely be sentenced to life imprisonment. Both brothers would be eligible for parole in 25 years.

The O’Haires were indicted in July after a two-year investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Investigators charge that James O’Haire headed the spy ring that included seven other men and women besides his brother to hand over U.S. technical and military secrets to the Soviet Union.

The other seven, who also pleaded guilty, will be sentenced in U.S. District Court next month.

Investigators say the full extent of the damage the O’Haire spy ring inflicted on U.S. interests may never be known. But they say it is extensive” and includes information about the so-called Star Wars, Strategic Defense Initiative.

The last similar spy case in this country involved the Walker family in 1986.