    vilyam "willie" genrikhovich fisher () (july 11, 1903 â november 15, 1971) was a soviet intelligence officer. he is generally better known by the alias rudolf ivanovich abel (Ð ÑÐ´Ð¾Ð»ÑÑ ÐÐ²Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ ÐÐ±ÐµÐ»Ñ), which he adopted when arrested on charges of conspiracy by fbi agents in 1957. born in the united kingdom to russian Ã©migrÃ© parents, fisher moved to russia in the 1920s and served in the soviet military before undertaking foreign service as a radio operator in soviet intelligence in the late 1920s and early 1930s. he later served in an instructional role before taking part in intelligence operations against the germans during world war ii. after the war, fisher began working for the kgb, which sent him to the united states where he worked as part of a spy ring based in new york city. in 1957, for his involvement in what became known as the hollow nickel case, the u.s. federal court in new york convicted fisher on three counts of conspiracy as a soviet spy and sentenced him to 45 years' imprisonment at atlanta federal penitentiary, georgia.whittell
1903_births 1971_deaths Cancer_deaths_in_the_Soviet_Union Deaths_from_lung_cancer English_people_of_German_descent GRU_officers KGB_officers NKVD_officers People_convicted_of_spying_for_the_Soviet_Union People_from_Newcastle_upon_Tyne Prisoners_and_detainees_of_the_United_States_federal_government Russian_and_Soviet-German_people Soviet_Cold_War_spymasters Soviet_people_imprisoned_abroad Soviet_spies_against_the_United_States