Russian Agent Maria Butina Sentenced To 18 Month For Interference Efforts In 2016 Election

An accused Russian agent has received sentencing for her reported meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

Maria Butina, the Russian national who worked to infiltrate conservative political circles, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. The sentencing comes after Butina, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign official in December.

This also makes Butina the first person tied to the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election to be convicted. However, CNN does note that Butina’s efforts were separate from the Kremlin’s efforts detailed in Robert Mueller’s report.

In the lead up to the 2016 election, Butina had been working to enter conservative political circles in an effort to push Russian agendas and interests should Republicans take the White House. She was subsequently arrested in July 2018. She served nine months behind bars while awaiting trial, which will be counted as part of her sentence. Butina will be deported to Russia after the rest of the sentence is complete.

Butina did get the chance to speak after her sentencing, saying, “I deeply regret this crime. Ironically it has harmed my attempts to improve relationships between the two countries.” She said her goal was to try and “build bridges” between the U.S. and Russia. She added, “Never did I wish to hurt anyone.”

As part of her guilty plea, Butina has cooperated with government officials and provided additional information about her plans. The information, thus far, has pointed to her then-boyfriend, Paul Erickson, who works as a GOP political agent. While no charges have been brought to Erickson regarding the election, he is currently facing charges of wire fraud and money laundering in South Dakota.