A woman accused of acting as a Russian agent to infiltrate a powerful gun lobby group and influence U.S. policy toward Moscow pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy in federal court on Dec. 13. This deal with prosecutors could give them insight into Russian meddling in American politics.
Maria Butina, a Russian former graduate student at American University in Washington who publicly advocated for gun rights, entered the plea at a court hearing in Washington before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. She also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Clad in a green jumpsuit with her red hair pulled back in a long braid, Butina replied “absolutely” when asked by Chutkan if her mind was clear as she prepared to enter her plea of guilty.
Butina was charged by prosecutors in July with acting as an agent of Russia’s government and conspiracy to take actions on behalf of Moscow. She had earlier pleaded not guilty before changing her plea during the Dec. 13 hearing.
Prosecutors accused Butina, who was jailed while awaiting trial, of working with a Russian official and two U.S. citizens to try to infiltrate the National Rifle Association (NRA) and sway Washington’s policy toward Moscow.
Although there are no sentencing guidelines for her specific crime, her lawyer, Robert Driscoll, estimated that under U.S. sentencing guidelines for similar crimes she could face up to six months in prison. Butina also faces the possibility of deportation to Russia after she finishes whatever sentence she is given.
As part of Butina’s ongoing cooperation in the case, the judge did not set a sentencing date. A status hearing was scheduled for Feb. 12, 2019.
In the statement of offense read aloud in court, one of the prosecutors said Butina had drafted a March 2015 “Diplomacy Project” that called for establishing unofficial back channels of communication between high-ranking American politicians to help benefit Russia.
As part of that plan, she acknowledged that she conspired with two Americans and a Russian official.
Butina’s lawyers previously identified the Russian official as Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia’s central bank who was targeted with U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in April.
One of the two Americans referenced in the prosecution’s criminal complaint was Paul Erickson, a conservative U.S. political activist who was dating Butina.
Neither his name, nor the Russian official’s name, were explicitly made in the statement of offense, though Erickson’s description appears to match that of Person 1 mentioned in the statement of offense read in court.
That statement said Person 1 helped advise Butina which American politicians she should target for meetings, and her plan was carried out on behalf of the Russian official.
The “Diplomacy Project” document was crafted by Butina with help from Person 1. To carry out the plan, Butina requested $125,000 from a Russian billionaire to attend conferences and set up “separate meetings with interested parties” such as other Russian businessmen or people with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prosecutors said.
After she was charged, Russia labeled the case against Butina “fabricated” and called for her release. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about Butina Dec. 11 in Moscow, a day after U.S. court filings indicated she would plead guilty in Washington.
The prosecutors in the Butina case are not from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump’s campaign conspired with Moscow to help him win.
With her guilty plea, Butina has become the first Russian citizen to be convicted of working to shape U.S. policy in the time period spanning the 2016 election campaign. Mueller has brought criminal charges against a series of Russian individuals and entities but those cases are still pending.
The prosecution’s complaint against Butina did not mention Trump’s campaign by name.
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