July 17, 2018 - Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday released the following statement on the charges filed against Maria Butina:
“The Justice Department today charged Maria Butina, a Russian national, with acting as an unregistered Russian agent. According to the complaint, Butina used a pro-gun group to connect with American politicians and sought ‘back channel’ communications that could be used by Russia to influence U.S. policy. The complaint further alleges that Butina worked with an unidentified U.S. person and at the direction of a high-level Russian government official.
“Today’s complaint is another development in the ongoing investigation into Russia’s efforts to attack our democracy. As more pieces of Russia’s vast effort to undermine U.S. democracy are revealed, President Trump’s failure to stand up to President Putin and protect our national security looks even worse.
“Judiciary Committee Democrats in December 2017 requested documents and an interview with Maria Butina to determine whether she used the National Rifle Association to establish back channel communications or funnel Russian money to the Trump campaign at the behest of Alexander Torshin, a prominent Russian banker connected to Vladimir Putin. She refused to comply, citing the lack of support from our Republican colleagues.
“Protecting our national security and the integrity of our democracy must be the mission of Republicans and Democrats alike. This complaint should serve as a stark reminder that Russia is not our ally and that we must get to the bottom of exactly what happened during the 2016 election and who was involved.”
Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Maria Butina, 29, a Russian citizen residing in Washington D.C., was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and made her initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was ordered held pending a hearing set for July 18, 2018.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017, Butina worked at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank. This Russian official was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018.
The court filings detail the Russian official’s and Butina’s efforts for Butina to act as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with U.S. persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation. The filings also describe certain actions taken by Butina to further this effort during multiple visits from Russia and, later, when she entered and resided in the United States on a student visa. The filings allege that she undertook her activities without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Source: DOJ
