"That was possible, because, after Aldrich Ames was caught in 1993, and it was revealed that his work resulted in ten U.S. agents being executed, the law was changed to make spying that got foreigners working for the U.S. killed, a death-sentence offense." I may be wrong, but I always thought the death penalty law for espionage was instituted when John Walker was arrested in the 1980s. Prior to Walker's arrest, the penalty was a measley $10,000 fine and/ or ten years in prison. Either way, this current guy, the Navy CT, should be very worried about the death penalty. Previously, other spies have avoided that punishment because they cooperated with investigators and told them what secrets they disclosed, thus avoiding death. This Robert Hoffman guy can't do that, since he never actually disclosed anything to the Russians. I hate to say it, but they should make an example of this guy. I think execution would do a lot to deter future wannabe spies.

Ever watch 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'?  It shows you how James Bond is such a fake idea; being a spy is the lowest element in a war you can be, even though you are highly valuable in a way too...

Personally, I think the threat of Russian espionage is exaggerated today; Russia's population is in decline, they are fighting Islamic terrorists just like we are, and a lot of their manufacturing business is being taken over by the real adversary today: China.