Report finds alleged spy funded by billionaire
WASHINGTON – Maria Butina, the Russian citizen accused of attempting to infiltrate U.S. political organizations, received financial support from a Russian billionaire with ties to U.S. energy and technology firms, according to a report Sunday.
Butina, 29, was arrested last weekend and charged with trying to influence groups like the National Rifle Association. Butina was deemed an “extreme flight risk” and is being held without bail while she awaits trial.
In April, Butina told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Konstantin Nikolaev, a Russian billionaire, provided funding for a gun rights group she represented, according to The Washington Post.
A spokesman for Nikolaev told the Post that the businessman was in contact with Butina but declined to confirm whether he offered money.
Investigators say Butina worked for years as a covert Russian agent attempting to “advance the interests of her home country.” Prosecutors said this past week that Butina began a romantic relationship with a U.S. person who she used to access other influential Americans.
Prosecutors have said Butina, a graduate student, was working in the United States at the direction of an unnamed Russian government official, seeking to establish “back channel” lines of communications. Prosecutors have said she was in contact with Russian operatives during her time in the U.S.
Nikolaev’s wealth was built mostly through port and railroad businesses in Russia, the Post reported. Nikolaev also sits on the board of a Houstonbased natural gas company called American Ethane. That company was applauded by President Donald Trump last year.