Russian Spy Maria Butina Sentenced To 18 Months

Buzzfeed News reports:

Maria Butina, the Russian gun rights activist who pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an unregistered agent for the Russian government in the US, was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison, although she’ll get credit for the nine months she’s already served.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan said she agreed with prosecutors that Butina wasn’t just a graduate student trying to learn about the US political system — but rather was gathering information about Americans who could influence US policy and relaying that information to a Russian official for the benefit of the Russian government.

BREAKING: Maria Butina sentenced to 18 months in prison. pic.twitter.com/OFjOkRr5Qy

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 26, 2019

Maria Butina, who used Russian spy tactics to influence conservatives and the NRA, got an 18-month prison term. She will then be deported. https://t.co/nE2VEC2p7f

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 26, 2019

Russia national Maria Butina is sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to trying to infiltrate GOP groups before and after the 2016 election https://t.co/Wdp0gKfSX3 pic.twitter.com/BITJedZ7dx

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 26, 2019