Walter Primrose is accused of stealing the identities of two deceased babies and operating under their names since the 1980s, according to court documents. Primrose used the fake identity to enlist in the US military and later work as a Defense Department contractor, the documents said on Thursday.
Primrose was arrested with his wife last Friday during a raid on their residence in Hawaii. The authorities investigated Primrose’s house and found Polaroid photographs of Primrose and his wife in an outfit that experts assess to be an authentic KGB (Soviet intelligence) uniform, prosecutors said during the hearing.
Primrose’s legal defense team argued that the couple seemed to be wearing the same uniform in what could be explained as a costume.
The photographs, along with Primrose’s personal interest in espionage and anti-government sentiments, have led the US government to speculate about possible ties between the couple and Russian intelligence. However, the US authorities have not pressed charges or made formal accusations about Primrose working for Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors have made many speculations about Primrose with little evidence to support it, the defense team said.
The judge sided with prosecutors in determining during a court hearing on Thursday that no set of conditions could ensure Primrose’s appearance in court given the circumstances of the case.
Primrose is formally charged with one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States by making fraudulent statements, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of fraudulently applying for and using a passport.
The court cited Primrose’s alleged history of lying and fraudulent behavior, as well as other concerning circumstances surrounding the case, as reason to deny the defendant a conditional release.