Stephen Joseph Ratkai
Stephen Joseph Ratkai | |
---|---|
Born | 1963 Soviet intelligence |
Criminal status | Pleaded guilty in February 1989, sentenced to 9 years; paroled |
Criminal charge | Espionage |
Stephen Joseph Ratkai is a Hungarian-Canadian who was arrested, charged and convicted of espionage in
Biography
Ratkai was born in 1963 (25 years old in 1988) near Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He had a troubled childhood: his mother killed his half-sister and herself when he was five years old, and his father returned to Budapest with his young son. Ratkai grew up in both Hungary and Canada, finishing high school in Canada and attempting unsuccessfully to join the Canadian Forces when he was 19. Rejected on physical grounds, he returned to Budapest and studied chemical engineering.[1]
Espionage
While studying in Hungary, Ratkai was recruited by Soviet Intelligence to act as a courier for operations in Canada. His first mission was to receive documents from an apparently disaffected US Navy officer stationed in Argentia, Newfoundland. The officer, Lieutenant Donna Geiger, was actually a double agent, and the entire situation was a "sting" operation concocted by the US
Ratkai was tried in Newfoundland Superior Court and on February 6, 1989, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted espionage and general spying under the Canadian Official Secrets Act. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison.[1]
Later life
Apparently a model prisoner, Ratkai was released on parole to a
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Anna Mehler Paperny (2012-10-13). "An echo of espionage from more than 20 years ago". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ISBN 0-941375-50-1.
- ^ Brian DuBreuil (2012-10-10). "Beyond the Headlines:The other Nova Scotia spy". CBC News. Retrieved 2016-03-07.