Erickson sentenced to seven years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering. However, in the list of charges against him was not connection with a Russian woman

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The Russian Maria Butina, who was in the US on a tourist visa, was detained in July 2018 on charges of conspiracy to work unregistered foreign agent

Pavel Starikov / wikipedia.org

American lobbyist, political consultant, Republican politician Paul Erickson, by whom “agent of influence” of Moscow Maria Butina tried to lobby for Russian interests and to establish “informal channel of communication” between the Republicans and the Kremlin, convicted of fraud.

Erickson sentenced to seven years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering. However, in the list of charges against him was no communication with the Russian woman.

The investigation found that between 1996 and 2018 Erickson devised and implemented several fraudulent investment schemes, the victims were, including his classmates, relatives and even the godmother, reports Deutsche Welle.

Since the eighties he participated in some political campaigns of Republican, worked for Patrick Buchanan – right-wing politician, adviser to presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, was a member of the Board of the American conservative Union (ACU), and in 2016 posed as a member of the transition team of Donald trump.

Guilty sentenced Paul Erickson is not recognized.

We will remind, the Russian Maria Butina, who was in the US on a tourist visa, was detained in July 2018 on charges of conspiracy to work unregistered foreign agent. 26 April 2019 the court sentenced her to 18 months in prison, given the nearly nine months that she spent in custody awaiting sentence.

In December 2018 Butina made a deal with the investigation and admitted that he participated in conspiracy against the United States, acted as an unregistered agent of the Russian government and tried to gain the confidence of the leaders of the National rifle Association.

In particular, Butina said that it has entered into an agreement with Erickson for the promotion of the interests of Russia under the influence of the former Chairman of the Central Bank Alexander Torshin. Butino and Erickson were United and romance – for some time they lived together.

With the help of Erickson Butina made in USA wide circle of acquaintances. Erickson also paid her tuition and helped to pass the session, “editing the essays and answering exam questions”. According to the U.S. attorney’s office, an intimate relationship with Erickson Butina is considered only as a part of the job. In the papers, the FBI, the Russian woman complained that she has to live with Erickson, and “scornfully spoke further with him cohabitation”.

Erickson was not the only partner of Butynol in the United States. She was in close relations with the founder of the American online retailer Overstock’s Patrick Byrne. As argued by the American prosecution, Butina practiced “sex in exchange for the position of” in order to infiltrate us political circles.

In October 2019 released from prison Butina returned to Russia.