U.S. asks court to detain alleged Russian agent pending trial

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Public figure Maria Butina attends a meeting of a group of experts, affiliated to the government of Russia
Public figure Maria Butina (R) attends a meeting of a group of experts, affiliated to the government of Russia, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on July 17, 2018. Press Service of Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS

July 18, 2018

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal court on Wednesday to detain alleged Russian agent Maria Butina pending her trial, saying she poses a serious flight risk and will likely appeal to people in the Russian government to assist her in fleeing.

The Justice Department said Butina has been in contact with Russian intelligence operatives, kept contact information for several Russian agents and had a handwritten note in her apartment asking how to respond to an offer of employment with a Russian intelligence agency.

The 29-year-old former American University graduate student was set to appear for a preliminary hearing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday afternoon.

She has been accused of working with a high-powered Russian official and two unnamed American citizens, trying to infiltrate a pro-gun rights organization in the United States and influence the United States’ foreign policy toward Russia.

The gun rights group was not named. However, her social media accounts show she attended many National Rifle Association events and met with many top officials of the lobbying group.

Her attorney, Robert Driscoll, has said she is not a Russian agent and poses no flight risk, after she was arrested on Sunday without warning.

In the 29-page filing, prosecutors also said Butina has ties to Russian oligarchs, including one with a net worth of $1.2 billion, and that she was previously was in touch with oligarchs about funding her trip to the United States.

The Butina case was not brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; writing by David Alexander; editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan Oatis)

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