A Russian woman has been charged with infiltrating US political organisations at the direction of a senior Kremlin official.
Maria Butina, a Russian citizen who lives in Washington DC, has appeared in court after being arrested in the US capital on 15 July.
The US justice department said in a statement that the 29-year-old is accused of working "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 took place "from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017", the statement said.
It said the official was sanctioned by the US treasury department's office of foreign assets control in April this year.
The justice department says Butina allegedly entered and resided in the US on a student visa without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.
Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States https://t.co/6No8kas6Yk
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) July 16, 2018
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years.
One of the agencies Butina is accused of infiltrating is the National Rifle Association (NRA), a strong ally of the Republican party.
It comes just hours after US President Donald Trump backed a denial by his Russian counterpart of any involvement or meddling in American elections.
After Mr Trump made his comments, director of national intelligence Dan Coats said: "We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy."
On Friday it was announced that 12 Russians have been charged with hacking Democratic Party emails during the 2016 US presidential election.
Moments after the news of Butina's arrest broke, Mr Trump tweeted from aboard the Air Force One en route back to America following his Helsinki meeting with Vladimir Putin.
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"As I said today and many times before, "I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people." However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along!" he wrote.
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the worlds two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
A Russian woman has been charged with infiltrating US political organisations at the direction of a senior Kremlin official.
Maria Butina, a Russian citizen who lives in Washington DC, has appeared in court after being arrested in the US capital on 15 July.
The US justice department said in a statement that the 29-year-old is accused of working "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 took place "from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017", the statement said.
It said the official was sanctioned by the US treasury department's office of foreign assets control in April this year.
The justice department says Butina allegedly entered and resided in the US on a student visa without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.
Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United States https://t.co/6No8kas6Yk
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) July 16, 2018
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years.
One of the agencies Butina is accused of infiltrating is the National Rifle Association (NRA), a strong ally of the Republican party.
It comes just hours after US President Donald Trump backed a denial by his Russian counterpart of any involvement or meddling in American elections.
After Mr Trump made his comments, director of national intelligence Dan Coats said: "We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy."
On Friday it was announced that 12 Russians have been charged with hacking Democratic Party emails during the 2016 US presidential election.
Moments after the news of Butina's arrest broke, Mr Trump tweeted from aboard the Air Force One en route back to America following his Helsinki meeting with Vladimir Putin.
More from Russia
"As I said today and many times before, "I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people." However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along!" he wrote.
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the worlds two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
