She may already be back in Moscow, but "bombshell" spy Anna Chapman continues her reign as the most infamous of the 11 members of an alleged Russian espionage ring apprehended in the U.S. last month.
According to The New York Post, the 28-year-old Chapman -- alternately referred to in the media as the "Stalingrad Stunner" and the "Bond girl" -- is busy shopping for a media deal worth $250,000, and demanding the money be paid into the Swiss bank account of an associate.
Sources say Chapman is hoping her tale of infiltrating U.S. society will then translate into a book deal and movie rights. Though Chapman agreed not to profit from her story as part of her plea bargain with U.S. authorities, there are "obvious issues about the enforceability of the provision" now that she's returned to Russia, her attorney Robert Baum tells Newsweek.
An earlier Newsweek article suggests that Chapman -- known in Russia by her maiden name, Anna Kushchenko -- could be eyeing a political career in her homeland. Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) member Alexander Potapov says he "will do everything to promote her candidacy in the next parliament elections" in 2012 if Chapman expresses an interest. United Russia, the dominant pro-Kremlin party, is known for backing its party lists with local celebrities including gymnast Alina Kabaeva (romantically linked in the Russian press with Putin) and the Bolshoi Ballet's prima ballerina Svetlana Khorkina.
If all else fails, Chapman's supporters have offered yet another option for the accused spy to make a buck. "Anna, don't worry they will work things through and let you go," a man by the name of Dimitri Kotov reportedly wrote on Chapman's wall on the Russian version of Facebook. "Afterwards, Playboy will offer you a ton of money for a few pictures!"
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The Huffington Post
Curtis M. Wong