*What an unholy mess. It's like catching Francis Gary Powers and he's got two tots in the U-2 cockpit.
Send our babies back to Mother Russia.
That was the plea Friday from a Virginia couple as they appeared in federal court after they were charged with being key members of a Russian spy ring.
Patricia Mills and Michael Zottoli and their 3- and 1-year-old kids appeared to be a normal American family before the parents were unmasked and arrested this week.
Now they want the children - American citizens - to grow up in Russia.
In court papers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Smith said Mills asked a family friend who has been caring for the children to contact Mills' sister and parents and arrange for the toddler and pre-schooler to live in Russia.
Federal Judge Theresa Buchanan and prosecutors did not say if the U.S. government backs the request.
Mills and Zottoli, who live in Arlington, Va., also outed themselves as spies and gave up what they said were their real names, the document revealed.
"Zottoli admitted to FBI agents that he is a Russian citizen whose true name is Mikhail Kutzik," the documents said.
Mills also copped to being a Russki and said her true name was Natalia Pereverzeva, the papers say. (((Welcome to USA, Mike and Patty, I mean Mikhail and Natalie. Oh wait, maybe not so welcome.)))
Prosecutors made the revelations in an attempt to have Zottoli, Mills, and a third suspected spy, Mikhail Semenko, held without bail because they are flight risks....
