6 months for man Mueller targeted

Richard Pinedo, a California resident charged with helping Russia interfere in the 2016 election, was given a six-month prison term Wednesday, making him the third person to be sentenced in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Pinedo, 28, pleaded guilty in February to using fake identities to create U.S. bank accounts that he then sold to Russian government operatives who investigators say used Facebook and other social media platforms to swing the election in President Donald Trump’s favor.

The Russians set up PayPal profiles with the stolen accounts that they used to pay their expenses, according to Mueller.

After completing his prison sentence, Pinedo will spend six months in home confinement, according to his plea deal.

Mueller’s prosecutors say Pinedo provided evidence that saved them time in prosecuting 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies indicted in February on charges that they carried out the Kremlin’s Trumpboosting interference campaign.

Pinedo’s lawyer, Jeremy Lessem, argued unsuccessfully in court papers that his client’s sentence should have been reduced because he put his life on the line by providing investigators with evidence against Russians “potentially working for the Kremlin.”

Pinedo’s sentence is the harshest one yet handed out as a result of Mueller’s inquiry.