in recruiting Markiz. I wanted to thank him for what he had done." Trofimoff further explained that, in 1987, Metropolitan Iriney ordered him to cease his espionage work for the KGB. According to Trofimoff, "...he told me to destroy the camera, so I smashed it with a hammer and I threw it in the garbage, far away." In 1992, a retired KGB archivist named Vasili Mitrokhin defected to the United Kingdom, taking with him thousands of pages of classified papers and handwritten notes on KGB operations at home and abroad. Major Mitrokhin's information included evidence that a NATO interrogation center was being compromised by a mole, codenamed, "Markiz". He handed over KGB records that showed classified documents that exceeded 80 volumes – 50,000 pages taken over 25 years. Mitrokhin didn't have a name, but he was able to produce a vague sketch of the traitor. Furthermore, the Soviet files he delivered described the spy as a "career American intelligence officer" and the courier who carried the secrets as a Russian Orthodox "clergyman". On December 14, 1994, Colonel Trofimoff and Metropolitan Iriney were arrested and interrogated by the German Federal Police, or Bundeskriminalamt, based on the mentioned sketch. Shortly thereafter, both were brought before Dr. Bernhard Bode, a judge of the Federal Constitutional Court, for a preliminary hearing. During the hearing, Metropolitan Iriney admitted to having loaned Trofimoff money, but denied having links to the KGB. He did admit, however, that, "The KGB was everywhere, also in the Church." The Metropolitan also admitted to having, "a very strong, personal relationship," with his female housekeeper, Gudula Walker. As Germany's espionage laws possess a five-year statute of limitations, Dr. Bode refused to file charges. As a result, both Colonel Trofimoff and Metropolitan Iriney were released. Metropolitan Iriney then returned to his duties as Hierarch of Austria. After his death in 1999, Patriarch Alexei II sent a telegram praising him. Legacy In 2000, Colonel George Trofimoff was arrested in Tampa, Florida and charged with espionage. In taped conversations with an undercover FBI agent, Trofimoff had admitted that his "brother," Metropolitan Iriney, had recruited to spy for the U.S.S.R. In 2001, Colonel Trofimoff was convicted of treason and espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment. He remains the highest ranking U.S. military officer ever tried or convicted on those charges. References Further reading Andy Byers (2005), The Imperfect Spy: The True Story of a Convicted Spy.