Media: Russian agent Butina was ready to testify in Paul Erickson’s case
Maria Butina, a Russian woman detained in the US, was ready to cooperate with the investigation and give testimony about her partner Paul Erikson, even before she was taken into custody, BBC reported wth reference to a statement made by her lawyer Robert Driscoll in court.
The court refused to release Butina on bail, she remains in custody.
Butina’s roommate appears in court documents as “American #1,” but the media discovered that this refers to well-known political technologist Paul Erickson.
The Russian woman’s lawyer stated that, on April 25th, when the FBI came to Erickson’s and Butina’s apartment to conduct a search, the agents had two warrants, one of which was “concerning a case in South Dakota.” Erickson has real estate property in this state.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the target of the investigation is Erickson who allegedly committed fraud, although no charges have been brought against him.
On July 16th, the US Justice Department filed charges against the 29-year-old Russian citizen Maria Butina for “criminal conspiracy” and work in the United States “as a foreign agent without notifying the Attorney General.”
According to the investigation, Butina starting in 2015 if not earlier engaged in “actions of conspiracy” that benefited Russia, acted as an agent for a Russian diplomat and “used personal connections with an American having influence in US politics.”