Mikhail Semenko's Virtual Trail Cites South Orange

Mikail Semenko, 28, former Seton Hall University graduate student, now accused Russian spy, left a long virtual trail that cites South Orange. Active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and a blog entitled "Chinese Economy Today," Semenko reveals information and impressions of his American life.  Semenko is scheduled to have a detention hearing at 2 pm on Thursday in federal court in Alexandria, Va.

To his 400 Facebook friends, greeted by a grinning photo at the top of the page, Semenko described himself as a graduate student at Seton Hall University, 2008, the year he earned two masters' degrees. Many of his Facebook friends also list Seton Hall University on their profiles, suggesting that Semenko met them during his years in South Orange. His page suggests that Semenko is a New Jersey Devils fan who appreciated the music of Candy Ng, Makanova Alua Yerensizovna, and Ulytau.

LinkedIn offers a fuller look at Semenko and his years in South Orange. His photo shows him smiling at the camera from a spot in front of the White House. Semenko's recent employment was as a "Travel Specialist" at Travel All Russia LLC. His resume notes that he worked as a Graduate Assistant at SHU's IT Budget Office.

In that job, which he held from Sept. 2006 until June 2008, Semenko was expected to "update IBM and other spreadsheets. File purchase orders, invoices and related accounting paperwork. Track, file and report on faculty stipends."

On the same site, Semenko describes himself as a "highly creative and analytical professional with recent education and diverse experience." He writes that he is a "natural leader and communicator with in-depth knowledge of government policy research, program management, international negotiations, and delivery of formal public speaking presentations." Further, Semenko cites "native expertise in Russian, fluency in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish, and intermediate skills in German and Portuguese."

Before he arrived at Seton Hall in 2005, Semeko was educated at Amurskij Gosudarstvennyj Universitet, which translates as Amur State University, in the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. There he earned a BA equivalent in International Relations. Semenko also earned a certificate in Chinese Language and Culture from the Harbin Institute of Technology. LinkedIn lists several "Groups" that Semenko joined; those include the Seton Hall University Alumni Network.

On Semenko's blog, Chinese Economy Today, he describes himself as an "expert in Chinese economic policy," available for translation and freelance consulting assignments. His cell phone number is listed: the area code is 973, and the exchange is 489. The Newark exchange suggests that he obtained the number while he studied locally.  An unconfirmed report suggests that he lived in Newark during his Seton Hall years. When we called it Wednesday, the outgoing voicemail message confirmed that the number belongs to Semenko.

A blog post begins "Dear Reader," and Semenko received and replied to comments. One comment addressed him as "Misha," a common nickname for Mikhail. The blog posts are both detailed–one is entitled "Chinese Currency Manipulation"–and engaging. A post about "Chinglish," which Semenko describes as "English in Chinese interpretation," invites readers to send in examples of "some new Chinglish laughs."

Semenko's writing is fluent and colloquial, even when grappling with complex issues of Chinese labor unions. He addresses readers as "folks" and describes others as "dudes."  He describes a negotiation style as "beat around the bush."

Semenko's first "Chinese Real Estate Bubble" blog post is dated May 29, 2010. The most recent, "Chinese Currency Manipulation" is dated June 24, last Thursday.

A June 22 post, "Chinese Business Communication," advises those hoping to do business in China to "immerse" themselves in the local communication style. His advice to readers–perhaps a legacy of his years in South Orange–is this: "Do get personal and be a good listener." Arrested as a Russian spy, now awaiting a bail hearing while in federal custody, Semenko's virtual trail suggests that he practiced what he preached.