What About the Kids of Accused Russian Spies?

(June 30) -- The children of the 11 suspected secret agents are not accused of being involved in a Russian spy ring. But their lives are being turned upside down anyway.

The suspected spies have seven children among them, most of whom are thought to be younger than 18. But while plenty of details have emerged about the James Bond-like activities of their parents, very little is known about the children, or what they may be going through.

Dr. Richard Gallagher, a child psychologist at the NYU Child Study Center, told AOL News that the children of the accused spies may spend years questioning whether their parents are good people or not and wondering about their identity as American citizens.

The eldest child, Waldo Mariscal, 38, was able to speak out for himself and his parents to reporters this week. "It's preposterous," he told The Wall Street Journal of the claims against his parents, Vicky Pelaez and Juan Lazaro.

The Star-Ledger reports that 11-year-old Katie Murphy and 7-year-old Lisa Murphy have been in child protective custody in New Jersey since their parents' arrest. But the whereabouts of the other underage children has not been made public. It's also unclear what might happen to them if their parents are imprisoned.

AOL News spoke to Jane Spinak, a law professor and the co-founder of the Child Advocacy Clinic at Columbia University, to learn about what may be in store for the children of the accused agents.

Where are Katie and Lisa likely to be right now?

They're likely to be living in a foster family. I don't know if New Jersey is concerned somehow about their safety in a way that would suggest that they're having them in a more secure setting, but I would find that very unusual.

What about the other young children?

If the kids are in protective services, and the parents say, '"I want my child to be living with this friend or this relative," parents can continue to make decisions about their children. If the parents have no one who can come forward, then the state may put them in foster care.

Do the accused spies still hold their parental rights?

The parents are not necessarily being charged [with child abuse], so their parental rights have not been terminated.

Do they have a right to know where their children are?

Certainly; even arrested parents have a right to know where their children are.

What's the legal status of the children?

If the children were born here, then they are citizens. If they are citizens, then they can't be deported. Either they are foreign nationals and so they don't have a right to be here, or they were born here and so they're citizens and they have a right to stay, regardless of what happens to their parents.

What will happen to them if their parents are convicted and imprisoned?

Once everybody figures out legally who they are and legally who their parents are, they will likely live with relatives. I'm guessing that within a relatively short period of time they will be living with people who they know and who they're connected to. But that doesn't mean it's not traumatic for them now.

Have the children been allowed to speak with their parents?

I think so, because there is no allegation of which I'm aware that the parents abused their children, neglected their children or threatened anybody. But ultimately, it depends on what FBI procedures are, so I don't know how or when that will happen.

Waldo Mariscal, the 38-year-old son of accused spies Vicky Pelaez and Juan Lazaro, has said that the FBI asked him if he had seen his parents carry large sums of money. Can authorities interrogate the younger children about their parents' alleged activities as well?

They shouldn't. Normally a parent would decide whether to allow their child to be interviewed by law enforcement agents. I don't know if that means that the FBI would do it anyway, but normally there would not be a basis for this.