U.S. scholar may face spy charge

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. Fulbright scholar, John Tobin, who is jailed on a drug conviction in Russia, may have espionage charges brought against him, Russian officials said on Tuesday.

He was doing political research at a university in Voronezh, south of Moscow, when he was arrested in February and convicted of obtaining, possessing and distributing marijuana.

Tobin, 24, a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was sentenced to more than three years in prison. He denied the charges and continues to plead his innocence.

The case attracted global attention when the Federal Security Service later alleged that Tobin had connections with U.S. intelligence.

The new accusations of spying against him could be due to the testimony of Dmitry Kuznetsov, a Russian scholar, who claimed that Tobin attempted to recruit him as a spy for the U.S., a Federal Security Service spokesman said.

Kuznetsov, an expert in toxic agents, reportedly said that Tobin was an agent who interrogated him in a U.S. prison in 1998. Kuznetsov, who was charged with fraud, said Tobin questioned him on his scientific research and contacts among other Russian scholars.

There was no immediate talk about bringing new charges, FSB spokesman Pavel Bolshunov told the Associated Press, since Tobin's alleged attempt to recruit Kuznetsov took place in the United States instead of Russia.

Bolshunov said that if the incident took place in Russia, it would be a 100-percent-proof espionage case. He added that Kuznetsov's evidence shows that the FSB were right in suspecting Tobin to be a U.S. intelligence agent.

Kuznetsov told the FSB that Tobin had promised him better prison conditions, a positive outcome of his trial and a monetary reward if he cooperated, Bolshunov said.

Kuznetsov reportedly said that prison officials introduced Tobin as an FBI agent. Tobin had asked Kuznetsov to give written opinions on toxicology which he was paid for in return.

After a $2,500 fine, Kuznetsov said he was freed on condition that he fulfil 150 hours of free lectures in American universities.

Kuznetsov said that he recognized Tobin as the FBI agent who interrogated him at the Connecticut state prison, when he met with Tobin earlier this year to confirm his suspicions.

Tobin, whose prison sentence was reduced to a year, was transferred Saturday to a low-security prison colony in Rossosh, which is known to have better conditions compared to other Russian prisons.