Richard Miller (agent)

American FBI agent and convicted spy

Richard W. Miller (December 13, 1936 – October 16, 2013) was an American FBI agent who was the first FBI agent indicted for and convicted of espionage. In 1991, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was freed after serving fewer than three years.

After a 10 week trial, in June 1985 each Ogorodnikov pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. Nikolai Ogorodnikov was immediately sentenced to eight years imprisonment. His wife received a sentence of 18 years, Miller pleaded not guilty, and after 11 weeks of testimony, a mistrial was declared, with two jurors later indicating they believed Miller's claim of attempting to infiltrate the KGB without the knowledge of his superiors. At his second trial, which ended on June 19, 1986, Miller again claimed his actions were the result of unapproved attempts to infiltrate the KGB as a double agent. In October 1989, Miller was granted bail while awaiting a new trial. Nikolai Ogorodnikov was released from prison in February 1990. He worked as a bus driver for a Los Angeles hotel, but the U. S. government later identified him as a security risk, targeted him for deportation, and held him in prison in Virginia during the proceedings.

For Miller's third trial, the lead prosecutor was Assistant U. S. Attorney Adam Schiff. He later reported that during one of his prison terms he befriended fellow inmate Lyndon LaRouche. Schiff recounts his work on the Miller trial in his 2021 book Midnight in Washington. While in prison, Miller trained to become a computer technician. Svetlana Ogorodnikova was released the same year. After several years in Tijuana, she and her husband entered the U. S. illegally and resided in Fallbrook, California.

Following his release, Miller relocated to Northern Utah. Miller died in Utah on October 16, 2013.