Alleged Russian Spy Remembered As 'Nice Guy' By Shocked Melrosian

Alleged Russian spy Don Heathfield always presented himself as personable and pleasant, according to a Melrose resident who saw Heathfield once a year.

Christine Casatelli, a Melrose School Committee member, and Heathfield both attended Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government from 1999-2000, according to Heathfield's LinkedIn profile.

"I saw it last night on the news, I saw his picture and I had the volume turned down," Casatelli said. "I saw his picture and I thought it was for something, you know, good that he done. When I turned up the volume, I heard the rest of the report and I just couldn't believe it."

Heathfield and nine others alleged Russian spies — including his wife Tracey Lee Ann Foley, whom he lived with in Cambridge — were arrested Sunday by the FBI on charges that they used stolen identities to integrate themselves into the U.S. and spy on policy makers, under orders from the SVR, the Russian Federation's foreign intelligence service.

Casatelli is on the Board of Directors for the Harvard Kennedy School New England Alumni Association and would see Heathfield once a year at reunions, she said.

"He'd always come up give me a hug hello, we'd chat about his sons and my kids, and his consulting business, say nice to see you and go off to the next classmate," she said. "I knew he that he was local, in the consulting business and had a couple of sons. He was always very pleasant, always greeted me with a hug and 'how you doing.' That's why this is all so very shocking."

Heathfield and his wife passed themselves off as Canadians, according to the FBI's report. Casatelli said he had "a little bit of an accent" that she figured was a French Canadian accent.

"Of course, many of my classmates had accents and many of my Canadian classmates had French accents, so I didn't think too much of it," she said. "I never did meet his wife or go to his home. But I would probably see him once a year at our alumni dinner and we'd exchange a few words ... always personable. Nice guy. This is just so devastating. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, so I guess we'll all have to see how it all plays out."