WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Anna Chapman

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

Megan and Alessia investigate the failed espionage career of Russian spy Anna Chapman.

The year was 2010 in Manhattan, right on the cusp of July. A man strolling down the sidewalk picked up his pace as his destination finally came into view. A few customers glanced up and then away as the door to the coffee shop swung open. The barista at the counter watched as the man found a two-person table beside the window and sat heavily, mopping his brow with the collar of his t-shirt. A shadow flitted across the sun-bathed floor and the door swung open. The man looked up rather quickly, and several customers did as well. This time, they didn't look away.

A woman in her late 20s stepped into the coffee shop. With her bright red hair, large green eyes, and slender build, few could deny she was beautiful. She glanced around before spotting the man by the window. She made her way to the table, and the man stood to shake hands with her. A first date, the barista thought, smiling. How adorable! The barista failed to see the passport. The man slid across the table to the woman.

woman at one point in the conversation, which she took and pocketed. Little did the barista now, a date could not be further from the truth of what was really happening. For only one of those at the little two-person table was who she said she was, a Russian spy, and the other was there to prove her guilty of it. Welcome to Undetected on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your hosts, Alessia Sandala and Megan Lee, as they uncover the stories of spies from every country in time. The most thrilling, yet the most secret of lives in the world.

history. Welcome back to Undetected everyone. I'm Megan and I'm Alessia. Today's subject is another contender for our list of spies that seem to have stepped straight out of a spy novel. Her name is Anna Chapman, a Russian femme fatale, and her story is a sensational one, marked by love affairs, controversies, and so much drama. Let's dive in. Anna Chapman was born on February 23, 1983, In the Soviet Union, her father is rumored to have worked as a diplomat with Sergei Ivanov, who was Russia's first deputy prime minister and friend of Vladimir Putin. Some sources say Anna's career in intelligence had been determined by her father at a young age. While Anna was earning a degree at Moscow State University, she met her to-be husband, Alex Chapman,

in London while on summer vacation in September 2001. The couple married in March 2002. Between 2004 and 2005, Chapman worked in London. and the pair moved often between England and Russia. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last long. By 2006, the pair had divorced. But during the marriage, Anna acquired something important. British citizenship and a British passport alongside her native Russian one.

Around 2009, after several trips since 2005, Anna settled down in Manhattan and started a business called Property Finder Limited, which featured real estate listings in European countries. She started a romance with Bill Stanniford, the CEO of a firm called Property Shark. She now worked with influential contacts, marketed her skills, and her business was flourishing.

Alex, who Anna remained in contact with, observed that there was clearly a lot of money being pumped into the business, but he couldn't figure out why. A little suspicious, don't you think? Yes, the FBI thought so as well. As soon as Anna has stepped foot in the USA, she had been watched by the FBI

as part of Operation Ghost Stories, a decade-long investigation into Sleeper or deep cover agents that Russia had been sending on American soil. Chapman used her real name, unlike others that assumed the identities of dead people. Anna was part of a group of 10 people that infiltrated America to blend seamlessly into American society, especially where high-ranking officials were involved. After getting tipped off by an American mole in Russian foreign intelligence, the FBI was alert. In 2010, the FBI had gotten into the group's communication systems.

Anna was caught communicating through her laptop with, the second secretary of the Russian mission to the United Nations. She would sit in public spaces and transmit encrypted messages using a wireless network that connected her laptop with the official's laptop, and he would be in a location that was close but not visible, such as parked in a van outside. This was found when the FBI hacked Anna's computer and sent one of their own as the computer shot fixer. But that afternoon, in a Manhattan coffee shop, the FBI gathered enough evidence to arrest

Anna. The man speaking to Anna was an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian operative, and he gave Anna the assignment of giving a fake U.S. passport to another sleeper agent. Anna, whom sources say was not very well trained, accepted the passport, threw her phone away, which the FBI collected, and after buying a new one, called her father for advice. Evidently, he suggested she trusts the tip, so Anna delivered the passport right into the hands of the police.

On June 27, 2010, the FBI arrested all 10 agents at once. After they pled guilty 11 days later, they were swapped with four prisoners from Russia who were convicted with spying for the West. According to some sources, Anna tried to return to the UK, but legal papers had revoked her citizenship shortly after her arrest. She headed back to Moscow and was welcomed with open arms. With her father in an influential position, Anna was appointed to the young guard of United Russia's public council

and began hosting a weekly TV show called Secrets of the World. Known as Russia's spy babe, Anna remained in the public spotlight for many years as a social media influencer, model, fashion designer, and political worker. A spy story indeed, a beautiful woman using charm and her good looks to get out of sticky situations. Alas, her espionage skills didn't get her terribly far. And I'm Alessia. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetected. Tune in next week to hear us talk about the French resistance leader Jean Moulon on Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM.