A couple once suspected of having possible ties to the KGB have been convicted for living for decades under the identities of two dead babies — even while one got security clearance in the Defense Department.
Former Coast Guard Walter Primose and his wife Gwynn Morrison, both in their 60s, were convicted in Hawaii on Monday of conspiracy, passport fraud and identity theft.
During their trial, the judge referred to them by their preferred — or stolen — identities, Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, which are actually the names of babies who died in Texas when the couple still lived there.
Primose used his fake identity to join the Coast Guard — even though it made him 12 years younger than he actually is, the prosecutor said.
He also used it to obtain driver’s licenses and passports — and even Defense Department credentials, where he had secret security clearance while once working as a defense contractor, the trial was told.
A former classmate at their Texas high school said the couple wanted to change their names to escape substantial debt. They had lost their home in Texas to foreclosure, the State Department confirmed.
Their case gained attention last year when prosecutors showed the couple dressed in what appeared to be authentic KGB uniforms.
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Assistant US Attorney Thomas Muehleck alleged at the time that Morrison had a “close associate” who lived in Romania when it was still a Soviet bloc country.
They also alleged the couple may have other aliases.
However, prosecutors later backed away from the spy angle after the couple’s lawyers insisted they wore the jackets for fun once.
When they’re sentenced in March, they face maximum 10-year prison terms for charges of making false statements in the application and use of a passport. They face up to five years for conspiracy charges and mandatory two-year consecutive terms for aggravated identity theft.
With Post wires.