Federal prosecutors are backtracking on their allegation that a Russian woman accused of working as a secret agent offered to trade sex for access, according to a Justice Department court filing.
Prosecutors had earlier accused Maria Butina, a gun rights activist in U.S. custody on charges she worked as a covert agent and tried to establish back-channel lines of communication to the Kremlin, of offering to exchange sex for a position with a special interest organization.
The salacious allegation, which immediately escalated the public interest in the case, was based on a series of text messages to and from Butina and other information that prosecutors say they had obtained.
Federal prosecutors concede that they misinterpreted text messages when they alleged that Maria Butina, a Russian woman accused of working as a secret agent traded sex for access
Prosecutors acknowledged they made a mistake in the case of Maria Butina
But in a new court filing, prosecutors said they misinterpreted the messages.
They said 'even granting that the government's understanding of this particular text conversation was mistaken,' there is other evidence to support keeping Butina in custody as the case against her moves forward in Washington.
Butina was arrested in July, accused of gathering intelligence on American officials and political organizations.
Prosecutors say she used her contacts with the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfast to develop relationships with U.S. politicians and gather information for Russia.
They also say she used her role as a student at American University in Washington as a cover for her activities.
The case is being handled by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and not by special counsel Robert Mueller, who has been leading an investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's Republican presidential campaign as well as Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Butina had a romantic relationship with GOP operative Paul Erickson of South Dakota and gained entree into Republican circles.
The concession came in a late-night court filing Friday in which prosecutors said Butina, 29, should stay in custody as a flight risk but wrote 'the government's understanding of this particular text conversation was mistaken'
The filing came ahead of a status hearing in her case scheduled for Monday.
Butina's lawyer, Robert Driscoll, had strongly denied the accusation and said the government had relied on an 'innocuous' three-year-old text message exchange between Butina and a longtime friend, assistant and public relations professional for a gun rights group that she had founded.
The individual, identified in court papers only as DK, had said in the text that he didn't know what Butina would owe him after he took her car for an insurance renewal and government inspection. She replied in part, 'Sex. Thank you so much. I have nothing else at all. Not a nickel to my name.'
In a court filing last month, Driscoll said that the sex comment was clearly a joke and that Butina is friends with DK's wife and child and treats him like a brother. He said there is no evidence that the two ever had sex.
Butina has pleaded not guilty to charges that she was acting as an agent for the Russian government since her arrest in July
'The impact of this inflammatory allegation, which painted Ms. Butina as some type of Kremlin-trained seductress, or spy-novel honeypot character, trading sex for access and power, cannot be overstated,' Driscoll said.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, Driscoll said, 'I'm happy the government walked back their false allegation.'
Butina, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Russia.
Driscoll has denied that Butina is a Russian agent, calling the case 'overblown.' He has said his client was merely a student who wanted to see a better relationship between the U.S. and Russia and sought to network with influential people in American politics.
The sexual allegation was only a small part of the evidence presented by prosecutors in arguing to jail Butina.
Prosecutors largely argued that she posed an 'extreme' flight risk and raised the prospect of her being swept out of the country by Russians using their diplomatic immunity to shield her from U.S. law enforcement.
Prosecutors have said her activities in the U.S. were being directed by a Russian official, identified by Driscoll in court as Alexander Torshin. He is a senior official in the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, a former lawmaker and a member of the NRA since 2012.
The admission that the U.S. Gov made a mistake represents a victory for Butina's defense team, which has attempted to soften the 29-year-old's image and win her release from jail
Torshin was also among a number of Russian businessmen and officials sanctioned this year by the U.S. Treasury Department for their ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and for their part in 'advancing Russia's malign activities.'
Prosecutors have said they also found evidence that Butina has had contact with Russian intelligence.
FBI agents photographed her dining with a diplomat suspected of being a Russian intelligence agent.
They found she had contact information for people suspected of being employed by Russia's Federal Security Services, or FSB, the successor intelligence agency to the KGB. They also found notes in her home referring to a potential job offer from the FSB.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/10/us-backtracks-on-russian-spy-suspect-offering-sex-for/
Main photo article Federal prosecutors are backtracking on their allegation that a Russian woman accused of working as a secret agent offered to trade sex for access, according to a Justice Department court filing.
Prosecutors had earlier accused Maria Butina, a gun rights activist in U.S. custody on charges she...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/09/09/16/wire-4228714-1536506673-523_634x472.jpg
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