Elena Branson allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars from the Russian government to run the Russian Center New York, described as a 'propaganda centre', which she founded in 2012.
Ms Branson faces six criminal counts over allegations that she failed to register with the US government as a foreign agent and took part in a visa fraud conspiracy."Particularly given current global events, the need to detect and hinder attempts at foreign influence is of critical importance, and the Southern District of New York is proud to do its part in the fight against tyranny," US Attorney Damian Williams said, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The criminal complaint said her work for the Russian government included arranging meetings for herself and Russian officials with US government officials and company executives. In April 2016 she allegedly invited then-presidential candidate Donald Trump or one of his children to a"Russia Forum", but there was no sign he or his family attended the event.
The complaint said she was given about $173,000 between August 2013 and 22 November 2019 from Russian government-controlled entities in connection with her work at the centre.She previously told the FBI during a September 2020 interview that she had never been asked by Russian officials to coordinate meetings with US officials.
The following month she told a Russian state-controlled television channel that she had left the US because she thought she would probably get arrested.
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