Maria Butina Says She Was 'Building Peace.' That's Not How The Feds See It

Intelligence officers call it "spotting and assessing," and it can be nearly as important to espionage as actually stealing secret information — identifying who has it and who might be a good candidate for more attention from spies.

"Acquiring information valuable to a foreign power does not necessarily involve collecting classified documents or engaging in cloak-and-dagger activities," Justice Department prosecutors wrote before Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison.