WASHINGTON D.C. Mar 8 (AMTV) – A federal court in New York unsealed a complaint today charging a dual Russian and U.S. citizen with acting and conspiring to act in the United States illegally as an agent of the Russian government, willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as well as conspiring to commit visa fraud and making false statements to the FBI.
According to court documents, Elena Branson, 61, beginning in at least 2011, worked on behalf of the Russian government and Russian officials to advance Russian interests in the United States, including by coordinating meetings for Russian officials to lobby U.S. political officials and businesspersons, and by operating organizations in the United States for the purpose of publicly promoting Russian government policies. Branson never notified the Attorney General as she was required to, including by registering under FARA.
“As alleged, Branson engaged in a wide-ranging influence and lobbying scheme with funding and direction from the Russian government – all while deliberately leaving the American people in the dark,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The department will continue to expose these serious crimes and shine a light on foreign malign influence.”
“As alleged, Elena Branson, a dual U.S. – Russian national, actively subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States in order to promote Russian policies and ideology,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “The Russian government at its highest levels, up to and including President Vladimir Putin, have made known that aggressive propaganda and recruitment of the Russian diaspora around the world is a Russian priority. In connection with this pursuit, Branson is alleged to have corresponded with Putin himself and met with a high-ranking Russia minister before founding a Russian propaganda center here in New York City, the Russian Center New York. Branson’s promotional outreach, including an ‘I Love Russia’ campaign aimed at American youths, exemplifies her attempts to act at the behest of the Russian government to illegally promote its interests in the United States. All the while, Branson knew she was supposed to register as an agent of the Russian government but chose not to do so and, instead, instructed others regarding how to illegally avoid the same. 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.”
“The evidence gathered in the Branson case shows she is a serial offender in violating the Foreign Agents Registration Action in order to promote Russian interests,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “While living in the United States for nearly a decade, she allegedly took money and direction from Russian government officials – including some at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. – as she arranged meetings for Russian officials to lobby U.S. officials. The FBI and our partners will continue to investigate and stop individuals who hide their work for foreign governments, like the one in Moscow.”
According to court documents, the Russian government has sought to spread Russian propaganda and to use Russian citizens in the United States and elsewhere to make connections with U.S. community leaders, politicians and businesspersons, in order to advance Russian government objectives. Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, have made public statements acknowledging this foreign policy strategy of the Russian government.
As part of that Russian government effort, beginning in at least approximately 2011, Branson, a native of Russia, acted illegally as an agent of the Russian government while living in the United States, by not registering pursuant to FARA or otherwise notifying the Attorney General as required by a separate statute. Among other things, in or about 2012, after receiving approval from the highest levels of the Russian government, Branson incorporated an organization headquartered in Manhattan, New York, named the Russian Center New York (RCNY). She sent correspondence to then-Prime Minister Putin and met with a high-ranking Russian government minister in connection with the initiation of her activities for the Russian government in the United States.
Branson received tens of thousands of dollars in funding from the Russian government for the RCNY and used the RCNY to host events and engage in public messaging at the direction of the Russian government and Russian officials. Branson was directed to, among other things, host events designed to consolidate the Russian-speaking youth community in the United States in exchange for funding. For example, Branson and the RCNY hosted an annual youth forum which was funded in part by an entity controlled by the government of Moscow.
Throughout her work as a Russian agent in the United States, Branson received funding and direction from the Russian government, including from the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and received tasking from high-level Russian government officials and Russian government-run organizations. At the same time, however, Branson actively sought to hide that the Russian government was providing her with tasking and funding her activity, and she instructed her co-conspirators to do the same. She also cautioned others against using language in describing their activities that would draw attention to FARA registration obligations for herself and the organizations.
As alleged, in or about 2019, Branson coordinated through the RCNY a campaign to lobby Hawaiian officials not to change the name of a fort located on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, which is the last remaining formerly Russian fort in the Hawaiian-islands and is significant to the Russian government. Among other things, Branson provided Hawaiian officials with messages from Russian government officials and organized a trip to Moscow for Hawaiian officials responsible for the potential name change to meet with high-ranking Russian government personnel.
In addition to the RCNY, Branson served as a chairperson of the Russian Community Council of the USA (KSORS), which is funded at least in part by various Russian government-run entities. Among other things, KSORS coordinated an “I Love Russia” campaign in the United States and organized youth forums focused on the promotion of Russian history and culture to American youths. Branson used the KSORS website to promote messages from the Russian Embassy and organized KSORS events approved by the Russian Ambassador to the United States. When Branson sought financial support from a government of Moscow official for the KSORS website, Branson reported that the purpose of the KSORS website was to spread information “about the activities of organizations created by Russian compatriots to form a positive image of Russia and Moscow among Americans.”
According to the complaint, Branson’s work on behalf of the Russian government also included arranging meetings for herself and other Russian officials with U.S. government officials and executives at businesses based in the United States. For example, in March 2016, Branson worked to arrange meetings for the head of the Department of Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations for the Government of Moscow with, among others, a New York state senator and the management of certain U.S. companies.
Branson also participated in a scheme to obtain fraudulent visas for Russian officials and their associates, by providing information about RCNY events to those individuals for using as false pretenses to obtain visas to enter the United States.
The FBI interviewed Branson on Sept. 29, 2020. During this interview, among other things, Branson falsely claimed that she was never asked by Russian officials to coordinate any meetings between U.S. business leaders or politicians and officials from the government of Moscow. Branson subsequently left the United States for Russia. On or about Oct. 15, 2021, during an interview on a Russian government-controlled television station, Branson stated that she left the United States because she thought it was likely that she would be arrested.
Branson is charged with: (1) conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; (2) acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; (3) conspiring to evade FARA registration, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; (4) willfully failing to register under FARA, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; (5) conspiring to commit visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and (6) making false statements to the FBI, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Branson left the United States for Russia in 2020 and remains at large.
The FBI’s New York Field Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Richman for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
1月28日北卡夏洛特市报道，美国银行今天宣布，将为该行所有符合条件的员工设立的拟议“特朗普账户”提供资每人1000美元资金。 美国银行此举将为所有16.5万名美国员工提供与政府相同的1000美元补贴，用于为2025年1月1日至2028年12月31日期间出生的子女开设新账户。此外，该银行还将允许子女未满18岁的员工通过工资扣款的方式，向此类账户进行税前缴款。 美国银行在一份声明中表示：“我们宣布支持并配合这项新的联邦计划，旨在惠及我们的员工，这是我们持续投资于员工并重申我们致力于打造‘最佳工作场所’的众多举措之一。当员工有机会为自己和家人建立长期的财务保障时，我们的公司和我们服务的社区也会因此受益。” 美国银行表示：“我们赞赏联邦政府为员工和家庭提供创新解决方案，帮助他们规划未来，我们也乐于参与其中。” 预计美国总统特朗普今天将与财政部长贝森特一起公布更多关于这些账户的细节。 所谓的“特朗普账户”是根据去年颁布的《大而美法案》（One Big Beautiful Bill Act）设立的，旨在为美国新生儿提供一项政府支持的储蓄计划。这些账户将于2026年7月4日正式启动，将提供给所有在2025年1月1日至2028年12月31日期间出生的美国儿童，每个账户将由美国财政部拨款1000美元。 如果拥有有效的社会安全号码，包括父母、监护人、成年兄弟姐妹或祖父母在内的授权成年人可以为其子女开设账户。虽然不强制要求缴款，但每年最多可以向账户存入 5000 美元。家长可以在申报所得税时选择参与该计划，从而为孩子报名。 该账户中的资金将投资于广泛的美国股票指数基金，与许多退休账户使用的低成本基金类型相同，其价值将随着美国股市的整体表现而增长。 根据美国财政部税务分析办公室的数据，如果特朗普的账户资金充足，到28岁时，账户价值可能高达190万美元，即使收益较低，同期也能达到60万美元左右。…
1月28日西雅图报道，美国跨国电商巨头亚马逊（Amazon）宣布裁员约1.6万人，此次裁员是该公司去年10月裁员1.4万名员工以来的最新一轮大规模裁员。此前，亚马逊1月27日宣布将关闭旗下生鲜超市（Amazon Fresh）和无人收银便利店Go，此举标志着该公司放弃了进军实体零售的计划。 亚马逊公司高级副总裁加莱蒂（Beth Galetti）今天在一篇发给该公司员工的博客文章中宣布了这一消息。 加莱蒂表示：“你们中的一些人可能会问，这是否意味着我们将进入一种新的裁员节奏——每隔几个月就宣布一次大规模裁员。这不是我们的计划。但正如我们一直以来所做的那样，每个团队都将继续评估自身在为客户创造价值方面的自主权、速度和能力，并根据需要进行调整。在当今这个瞬息万变的世界，这一点比以往任何时候都更加重要。” 加莱蒂还表示：“虽然许多团队在10月份就完成了组织架构调整，但其他一些团队直到现在才完成这项工作。” 此外，加莱蒂还指出：“在进行这些调整的同时，我们将继续招聘人才，并加大对公司未来至关重要的战略领域和职能部门的投资。我们所有业务都还处于起步阶段，未来蕴藏着巨大的机遇。” 加莱蒂表示，美国员工将有90天的时间在公司内部寻找新的职位，之后才会获得遣散费、职业介绍服务和医疗保险福利。
1月27日西雅图报道，美国电商巨头亚马逊今天在发给该公司云计算部门亚马逊网络服务（AWS）员工的一份通知邮件中，似乎是由于操作失误，承认该公司正在进行“组织架构调整”。 有报道称，一位消息人士透露，亚马逊预计最早将于本周宣布在其公司员工队伍中进行大规模裁员。亚马逊的云计算和零售部门预计将受到影响。 亚马逊网络服务应用人工智能解决方案高级副总裁奥布里（Colleen Aubrey）在一封电子邮件中写道：“这样的变化对每个人来说都很艰难，这些决定都是经过深思熟虑的，目的是为了让我们的组织和云计算服务在未来取得成功。” 该邮件还引用了亚马逊人力资源主管加莱蒂（Beth Galetti）的一篇帖子，并表示公司已通知“我们组织中受影响的同事”。该邮件主题提到了似乎称为“黎明计划”(Project Dawn)，邮件内容称该项目“已取消”，这可能表明发件人已在事后撤回了该邮件。目前尚不清楚““黎明计划”指的是什么。 此次裁员是在亚马逊在去年10月宣布裁员14000名公司员工之后进行的。当时，该公司表示，由于他们找到了“可以精简层级的更多领域”，裁员将在2026年继续进行。 亚马逊首席执行官贾西（Andy Jassy）表示，裁员是为了减少公司内部的管理层级和官僚机构。他还在去年6月预测，人工智能带来的效率提升将在未来几年内减少亚马逊的公司员工数量。 今天早些时候，亚马逊宣布将重组其杂货业务。亚马逊表示，将关闭其Fresh超市和Go便利店，并将投资重点放在Whole Foods门店和在线杂货配送业务上。 亚马逊杂货业务负责人布切尔（Jason Buechel）在一份备忘录中告诉员工，公司需要做出更“深思熟虑的选择”才能赢得客户。他还宣布了该部门的其他重组举措，包括计划设立一个“杂货质量”领导职位。该公司称，将于2月5日股市收盘后公布第四季度财报。
1月27日加州山景城报道，美国跨国公司谷歌（Google ）已达成一项初步协议，同意支付 6800 万美元了结一起集体诉讼。该诉讼指控谷歌公司的语音助手秘密录制智能设备用户的对话，侵犯了用户的隐私权。 该项初步和解协议于1月23日提交至加利福尼亚州圣何塞的联邦法院，但仍需美国地方法院法官弗里曼的批准。 谷歌公司被指控非法录制和传播私人对话，原因是其谷歌助手（Google Assistant）工具被触发后，会将这些对话用于定向广告投放。 据诉讼称，谷歌助手本应只在用户说出“嘿，谷歌”或“好的，谷歌”等短语，或手动按下设备上的按钮时才进行录音，但它却在用户未使用这些“唤醒词”的情况下，在用户不知情的情况下，不当录制了用户的私人对话。受影响的设备包括谷歌智能手机、智能音箱、笔记本电脑、平板电脑，以及谷歌公司的Chromecast 媒体播放器，甚至无线耳机。用户声称，他们收到的广告是基于他们在没有使用唤醒词触发智能设备的情况下所说的话，这侵犯了他们的隐私。 根据法庭文件，谷歌公司并未承认任何过错，但表示决定和解是为了避免漫长诉讼带来的“不确定性、风险、费用、不便和干扰”。原告律师可能会从和解金中获得高达三分之一的律师费约合2270万美元。 2024年12月，苹果公司也与智能手机用户就其虚拟助手Siri达成了类似的和解协议，和解金额为9500万美元。 科技巨头谷歌公司此前也曾就其他隐私投诉达成和解，其中包括去年春天达成的一项和解协议，当时谷歌同意向德克萨斯州支付 14 亿美元，以了结一项指控该公司未经用户许可收集用户数据的诉讼。 此外，谷歌公在去年…
1月27日芝加哥报道，连锁快餐店麦当劳（McDonald's）将重新推出其标志性的可变形开心乐园餐玩具，尽管这些玩具经过了重新设计，但这仍然是几十年来首次推出此类玩具。 麦当劳美国公司称，他们正在重新推出这些标志性玩具，以便新一代消费者也能体验到这些昔日备受喜爱的经典玩具。“变形金刚”系列玩具可以从麦当劳的食物造型变成机器人或恐龙等角色。这款经典的开心乐园餐玩具系列最初由麦当劳在20世纪80年代末和90年代推出。 麦当劳美国公司今天在一份声明中表示，“这些深受喜爱的玩具最初在20世纪80年代末和90年代初就俘获了众多粉丝的心，如今它们将限时回归餐厅，让孩子们和成年人都有机会获得16款可变形玩具中的一款，这些玩具可以变成经典的麦当劳标志性形象。” 麦当劳推出新菜单之际，正值该公司推出一项更广泛的战略，该战略旨在结合怀旧元素、技术和以客户忠诚度为中心的举措，以适应不断变化的消费者习惯。这家快餐巨头强调价值、领导力和产品质量的稳定性，希望在持续的经济压力下留住顾客。 上周，麦当劳公司宣布将在菜单中添加更多菜品，此次举措旨在抓住消费者对蛋白质需求激增的机会。麦当劳的价值策略加剧了快餐行业的竞争，各连锁店纷纷推出更多优惠产品，以应对麦当劳为重新吸引注重价格的消费者而采取的新举措。 去年9月，麦当劳重新推出了超值套餐，为顾客提供八种早餐、午餐和晚餐套餐选择，比单独购买单品节省15%。竞争对手们也迅速效仿，分别推出了各自的折扣优惠，尤其是在早餐时段。麦当劳股价在今天午后交易时段上涨，年初至今累计上涨2.7%。
1月27日亚特兰大报道，联合包裹服务公司（UPS）首席财务官戴克斯（Brian Dykes）今天在该公司的季度财报电话会议上宣布，作为其转型战略的一部分，计划在2026年裁减多达3万个运营岗位。 戴克斯表示，此次裁员将“通过自然减员的方式进行，我们预计将为全职司机提供第二轮自愿离职计划”。 总部位于佐治亚州亚特兰大的联合包裹服务公司自2025年6月宣布转型战略以来，一直在实施该战略，重点是优化其美国网络并提高生产力。此次裁员为该公司历史上规模最大的运力网络重组。 去年，该公司裁员48000人，并启动了送货司机买断计划。此外，该公司还关闭了93个运营场所。联合包裹服务公司在当时表示：“这项战略举措将优化我们网络的运力，使其与预期的货运量水平相匹配，并通过增加自动化来提高生产力，此次重组将影响部分职位，我们致力于在此过程中为员工提供支持。” 该公司去年1月还表示，将加快削减数百万笔低利润亚马逊订单的计划。亚马逊是该公司最大的客户，同时也是日益增长的配送竞争对手。该公司称这项业务“对利润率造成了极大的稀释”。 该公司首席执行官托梅（Carol Tome）在今天该公司的电话会议上表示：“我们目前正处于亚马逊加速缩减计划的最后六个月，我们计划在2026年全年继续每天减少一百万件包裹的配送量，同时继续调整我们的配送网络。” 联合包裹服务公司在今天发布的财报中表示，作为将于2025年完成的一份“转型2.0”计划中的一部分，该公司已找到了精简管理层级的机会。 此外，该公司还开始审查其业务组合，并确定了投资某些技术的机会，包括财务报告和日程安排、时间和薪酬系统等，这些技术将有助于降低全球间接运营成本，提高透明度，并减少对传统系统和编程语言的依赖。