Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty to being a Russian officer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a Washington court on Friday for infiltrating the American political apparatus through her links with the NRA, the powerful pro-arms lobby .
Charged with "conspiracy" to "promote the interests of Russia" after her arrest in July 2018, she is the first Russian whose culpability was recognized by investigations into Moscow's interferences with the 2016 presidential election campaign. United States. US prosecutors had explained recommending only 18 months in prison because of "his consistent help to the police".
Moscow denounces accusations "unfounded"
Maria Butina, 30, has been cooperating with US justice since she pleaded guilty in December to having acted as an agent of a foreign country without formally notifying the government, a charge of "spying light" by the prosecution. Her lawyers argued, however, that she had already spent nine months in prison and asked that she be returned to Russia after her sentence.
"Maria is accused of conducting a parallel diplomacy and lobbying at conferences," said one of her lawyers. Moscow for its part denounced "unfounded" American accusations and a "political inquisition".
His case does not seem to be related to Robert Mueller's investigation
Originally from Siberia, she was noticed in 2014 by the American conservative lobby by campaigning for a pro-Russian organization, the "Right to Arms". On social networks, the young woman with long red hair denounced the strict regulation on weapons in his country, often posing with a gun in his hand.
During visits to the United States, she had met in 2015 with officials of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest US arms lobby, close to the Republican party. According to the prosecution, she worked under the leadership of Alexander Torchine, a politician and banker close to Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been under US sanctions since April.
US justice believes that, despite the lack of links between the accused and the Russian intelligence services, it was part of a Kremlin plot to infiltrate and disrupt the American political system, including in the 2016 election who had seen the victory of Donald Trump. But his case does not seem to be linked to the spate of investigation by the special prosecutor Robert Mueller on Russian interference. His report, released last week, concluded that there was no agreement between the Trump team members and Russia, despite many contacts.