The attorney for Maria Butina, the Russian national who’s serving time in prison for failing to register as a foreign agent, told senior Justice Department officials in late July that Patrick Byrne, who at the time was CEO of Overstock.com, had provided exculpatory evidence on Butina to the FBI as part of a years-long non-standard relationship with the bureau.
The July 25 letter by Butina’s attorney, Robert Driscoll, matches the allegations that Byrne made on Fox News and CNN on Aug. 22. Byrne resigned as Overstock’s CEO the same day, due to concerns that his involvement with government investigations may affect the company.
