Dual citizen charged with acting as Russian agent in U.S.
Federal prosecutors charged a dual U.S.-Russian citizen Tuesday with illegally acting as an agent of the Russian government in the U.S.
In a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in New York, the Justice Department says Elena Branson, also known as Elena Chernykh, worked as an illegal Russian agent “to spread Russia interests, including through the lobbying of U.S. Government officials in favor of Russian policy positions,” for almost a decade.
"Throughout, Branson has received funding and direction from the Russian Government, including from the Russian Embassy in the United States, and received tasking from high-level Russian Government officials and Russian Government-run organizations," the filing said.
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One of the officials Branson is alleged to have communicated with directly was then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whom she is accused of asking for “administrative support” so she could host events at the consulate in New York and the embassy in Washington, D.C., the filing says.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna19243
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