Russian-US Citizen Charged by US Authorities for Acting Illegally as Russian Agent

The Justice Department building in Washington, on Dec. 9, 2019. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

A dual Russian-U.S. citizen was charged on March 8 with allegedly acting as a Russian agent in the United States.

Elena Branson, 61, from at least 2011 worked with top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, to promote Russian propaganda and influence U.S. policy, according to court documents filed in the Southern District of New York.

Branson “knowingly would and did act in the United States as an agent of a foreign government and foreign officials, namely, the Russian Federation, the government of Moscow, and officials of those foreign governments” without notifying U.S. authorities, a criminal complaint states.

Foreign agents are required by U.S. law to register with the U.S. government.

Despite not doing so, Branson moved to set up meetings between a Russian official and U.S. politicians, founded an organization headquartered in New York City named the Russian Center of New York (RCNY) that received funding from the Russian government, and lobbied officials in Hawaii to keep the name of a fort located in the state in part by arranging a trip for the officials to Moscow to meet with high-ranking Russian officials, according to the charging documents.

Additionally, Branson worked for years for the Russian Community Council of the USA, which receives funding from Russian government-run entities. In the role, she helped coordinate an “I Love Russia” campaign in the United States and organized youth forums that were aimed at promoting Russian culture and history to American youth.

And U.S. authorities also said Branson was part of a scheme to obtain fraudulent visas for Russian officials and their associates by giving them information about events RCNY was holding so they could use the details as a pretense to enter the United States.

“Branson engaged in a wide-ranging influence and lobbying scheme with funding and direction from the Russian government—all while deliberately leaving the American people in the dark,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement, adding that the U.S. Department of Justice “will continue to expose these serious crimes and shine a light on foreign malign influence.”

Michael Driscoll, the FBI’s assistant director-in-charge, said the case “highlights the breadth of Russia’s relentless intelligence and malign influence activities targeting the United States” and vowed the bureau “will continue to be just as aggressive in uncovering and dismantling these Russian government networks who seek to harm our national security.”

It wasn’t clear whether Branson had retained a lawyer. She faces up to 35 years in prison. She is at large.

RCNY didn’t return an inquiry.

Branson spoke to the FBI agents in 2020 and during the interview said she'd never been asked by Russian officials to arrange meetings between U.S. politicians and Russian officials, according to the charging documents. Branson soon left the United States and went to Russia.

Branson said on a Russian government-backed broadcaster the following year that she had left the United States because she would likely be arrested.