GUILTY DC - Maria Butina, 29, charged with spying for Moscow by 'infiltrating' NRA, Washington, 15 Jul 2018

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Maria Butina plea deal may be near - CNNPolitics


Washington (CNN)Attorneys for Maria Butina and the Justice Department gave more signs Thursday morning they are negotiating a plea deal for the accused Russian spy.

In a conference call with a federal judge in Washington, the attorneys said another upcoming hearing in the case should be canceled and that subpoenas planned for American University, where Butina was a graduate student, may be withdrawn by the end of this week.
[.....]
If Butina were to change her plea in the case from not guilty to guilty, she would likely return to Russia.
Prosecutors previously told a court she was in touch with Russian backers and agents as she ingratiated herself with politically powerful Americans.
 
Maria Butina, Russian Accused of Spying, Enters Plea Deal; Court Papers Backpedal on Sex Claims

WASHINGTON — Maria Butina, the Russian woman accused of running a secret campaign to influence powerful American conservatives, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent, bringing to a close a case that had drawn headlines with prosecutors talking of a sly seductress who traded sex to further the aims of her spymasters in Moscow.
[.....]
The deal, which now must be approved by a judge, stipulates that Ms. Butina must cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in exchange for what could be a short prison term, or possibly a release after having already spent five months in jail. As a felon, she will most likely be deported after her release, as was made clear in court filings laying out the deal that were obtained by The New York Times.
[.....]
The court in Washington that is handling Ms. Butina’s case set a hearing for Wednesday (12/12).
 
Wednesday, Dec. 12th:
*Status Conference Hearing (Maybe) – DC – Maria Butina (29) arrested (7/15/18) & indicted (7/17/18) with conspiracy to & acting as a foreign agent & did not register with Justice Dept as a foreign agent of Russia Gov’t. Plead not guilty. Held without bail.
She is also said to have gotten help from the National Rifle Association, which repeatedly brought Ms. Butina from her native Russia to the United States for events until she obtained a student visa in August 2016. That failure (to register as a foreign agent) is central to the government’s charges that she violated the federal lobbying law and conspired with Mr. Torshin, the deputy head of Russia’s central bank, to influence American politics on behalf of the Russian government. On Wednesday (7/18), the government alleged for the first time that Butina used sex — she dated and lived with a much older Republican political consultant, and purportedly offered another person “sex in exchange for a position with a special interest organization.”
12/10/18 Update: Butina has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent. The deal, which now must be approved by a judge, stipulates that Ms. Butina must cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in exchange for what could be a short prison term, or possibly a release after having already spent five months in jail. As a felon, she will most likely be deported after her release. Hearing on 12/12.
 
Okay - I was off by one day....

Maria Butina plea hearing set for Thursday, her spy boss Torshin missing, Putin unhappy


A U.S. judge today postponed Maria Butina's plea agreement hearing until Thursday.


Butina is expected to plead guilty of being a Russian agent who conspired with Russians and Americans to throw the election to Trump, funnel cash to the NRA and other political figures, and soften U.S. foreign policy towards Moscow. Thursday will be an important news day if this plea hearing schedule holds.
 
Maria Butina pleads guilty to engaging in conspiracy against US - CNNPolitics

"Washington (CNN)Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday for conspiracy to act as an illegal foreign agent in the United States.

Butina said she acted "under direction of" a Russian official whom CNN has identified as Alexander Torshin, the recently retired deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia.

"Butina sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over US politics," the prosecutor said in a Washington courtroom."
 
Here's what I compiled from the article:

Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday for conspiracy to act as an illegal foreign agent in the United States. said she acted "under direction of" a Russian official whom CNN has identified as Alexander Torshin, the recently retired deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia. "Butina sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over US politics," the prosecutor said in a Washington courtroom." She agreed to cooperate in a plea deal with U.S. investigators in exchange for less prison time. In plea papers, prosecutors agreed to drop a second count against Butina of violating a law that requires foreigners working for their government to register with the U.S. Justice Dept. Butina faces a possible maximum prison sentence of five years followed by deportation. Under the deal, her defense agreed that she could face a recommended zero to six months in prison under federal guidelines, and could seek a lower sentence. Prosecutors did not agree on any guidelines range, but agreed to request leniency if she provides “substantial assistance.” Butina, who has been jailed since her arrest in July, agreed to remain behind bars while awaiting her sentencing date, which has not been set pending her ongoing cooperation.

and why would they "alleged" if she pled guilty?
 
The 13th said:
This could turn into something previously unthinkable. Just think of how many millions of dollars came through the NRA from Russia and how many elected politicians take that money.
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Could you provide a source for any money going to the NRA from Russia.
 
The 13th said:
But I'm sure we'll learn a whole lot more when Mueller is done. It's pretty unbelievable right now that we're apparently living in some dystopic crime novel or somesuch.
Click to expand...
You said money
The 13th said:
But I'm sure we'll learn a whole lot more when Mueller is done. It's pretty unbelievable right now that we're apparently living in some dystopic crime novel or somesuch.
Click to expand...
First. Mueller has nothing to do with this prosecution. Secondly, what is your source for money going to the NRA from Russia.
 
bwt42 said:
Could you provide a source for any money going to the NRA from Russia.
Click to expand...
You didn't ask me but I recall linking this in a previous thread.
Still under investigation as far as I know.
NRA got more money from Russia-linked sources than earlier reported

The National Rifle Association reported this week that it received more money from people with Russian ties than it has previously acknowledged, but announced that it was officially done cooperating with a congressional inquiry exploring whether illicit Kremlin-linked funding passed through the NRA and into Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said on Wednesday.

Wyden released a letter from the NRA, dated Tuesday, in which the gun rights group reported receiving $2,512.85 in contributions and membership dues “from people associated with Russian addresses” or known Russian nationals living in the United States from 2015 to the present. In the past, a congressional aide to Wyden said, the group had confirmed receiving only one financial contribution, in the form of a lifetime membership purchased by Alexander Torshin, a Russian banker.
 
kimlynn said:
You didn't ask me but I recall linking this in a previous thread.
Still under investigation as far as I know.
NRA got more money from Russia-linked sources than earlier reported

The National Rifle Association reported this week that it received more money from people with Russian ties than it has previously acknowledged, but announced that it was officially done cooperating with a congressional inquiry exploring whether illicit Kremlin-linked funding passed through the NRA and into Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said on Wednesday.

Wyden released a letter from the NRA, dated Tuesday, in which the gun rights group reported receiving $2,512.85 in contributions and membership dues “from people associated with Russian addresses” or known Russian nationals living in the United States from 2015 to the present. In the past, a congressional aide to Wyden said, the group had confirmed receiving only one financial contribution, in the form of a lifetime membership purchased by Alexander Torshin, a Russian banker.
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Thanks. Now I remember seeing the article you cited. I was looking for sources that millions were given by Russia to the NRA that was stated by a poster.
 
bwt42 said:
You said money

First. Mueller has nothing to do with this prosecution. Secondly, what is your source for money going to the NRA from Russia.
Click to expand...

First, I don't need a lecture. I never said he was part of this FBI investigation, which is what will uncover more about how many millions. Mueller's investigations are relevant, in that it's the same group of actors, in a big web of connections (explored here in this interactive website, by the way: NRA and Russia). Mueller's (and others') investigations will continue to help uncover the extent of corruption and criminal activity, and as I wrote, we will know a lot more when he is finished.

Secondly, your question doesn't make any sense. That's part of the investigation.
 
The 13th said:
First, I don't need a lecture. I never said he was part of this FBI investigation, which is what will uncover more about how many millions. Mueller's investigations are relevant, in that it's the same group of actors, in a big web of connections (explored here in this interactive website, by the way: NRA and Russia). Mueller's (and others') investigations will continue to help uncover the extent of corruption and criminal activity, and as I wrote, we will know a lot more when he is finished.

Secondly, your question doesn't make any sense. That's part of the investigation.
Click to expand...
Sorry if my response came across as a lecture. This thread is about the Federal prosecution of Maria Butina for spying. I didn't want it to digress into something else. JMO
 
Butinas Defense Expects Client To Be Released In February - Father - UrduPoint

Tue. 25, December, 2018

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th December, 2018) Valery Butin, father of Russian national Maria Butina, who is currently in US custody on suspicion of espionage, said Tuesday that his daughter's attorney expects her to be released in February.

"His [the attorney's] hopes, strategy and tactics that are currently being applied in the trial are aimed at securing her release in February. But all questions regarding how things will stand should be addressed to the court," Butin said.

Butin also commended the way Butina was being defending in court, highlighting that deportation would be a successful outcome.
 
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