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.
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4月29日华盛顿州伊萨夸市报道，会员制仓储零售巨头好市多（Costco ）正在调整其最具标志性的长期优惠之一，其著名的售价为1.50美元的“四分之一磅纯牛肉热狗配20盎司汽水”套餐，客户可将该套餐中的自选饮料替换为一瓶16.9盎司的“科克兰”(Kirkland Signature）瓶装水。 据《人物》杂志报道，此举标志着该深受喜爱的该经典套餐在40多年来的首次更新，其包含免费续杯服务的原有汽水选项将继续保留，不做任何更改，该热狗套餐价格也保持不变。 该调整在网络上引发了顾客们热烈反应。几个月前，一位 Reddit用户分享了一张照片，展示了当地好市多发生的一项变化；随后，许多评论者纷纷对这一新选项表示欢迎。 一位评论者说：“终于等到了！我平时要么直接跟店员说不要杯子，要么拿了杯子也直接扔掉，因为我正努力少喝汽水，而饮水机里的水喝起来味道又怪怪的。以后去 好市多，再也不用费心记得带硬币了。” 另一位补充道：“真希望有更多家好市多也能这样做。比起苏打水，我肯定更想要瓶装水。” 还有客户写道：“我们在加拿大多伦多的门店里，这种情况已经持续好几个月了，我之所以知道，是因为我在点波兰香肠时，曾不止一次地误选了‘水’！哈哈。快把我的零度可乐还给我！！” 一位顾客在社交媒体X上写道：“一瓶水比那个纸杯还便宜，这有点像是在响应‘让美国再次健康起来’的号召。” 另还有顾客在社交媒体X上写道：“你觉得像这样的小改动对顾客来说真的重要吗？还是说，关键在于人们对任何改变的反应？” 总部位于美国华盛顿州伊萨夸市的好市多热狗套餐的价格数十年来一直保持不变，该公司首席执行官瓦克里斯（Ron Vachris）在3月18日发布的一段Instagram视频中明确表示，这一价格在短期内不会发生变化，“只要我还在这儿，热狗的价格就不会变。”
4月29日华盛顿报道，自特朗普政府联合以色列对伊朗发动先发制人的突然大规模军事打击以来，美国战争部长赫格塞特（Pete Hegseth）今天在美国众议院首次接受了国会议员的质询。另一位五角大楼官员在今天在美国众议院的听证会上透露，至今为止对伊朗战争的军事成本估算已高达250亿美元。 赫格塞特在回应质询时称赞了特朗普总统的领导，并表示：“我们目前面临的最大对手是国会民主党人和一些共和党人那些鲁莽、无能和失败主义的言论……在为美国人民安全而进行的一场生死之战中仅仅两个月。伊朗绝不能拥有核弹。我们为这项事业感到骄傲。” 与此同时，特朗普总统今天在白宫椭圆形办公室表示，他与俄罗斯总统普京通话，就伊朗战争问题进行了探讨。特朗普总统透露，普京在通话时重申，俄罗斯愿意协助将伊朗浓缩铀运出该国的提议，而这正是特朗普总统希望伊朗政权放弃的资产。 俄罗斯媒体报道称，普京总统时警告美国对伊朗采取新的军事行动可能会带来“破坏性后果”。 普京总统的助手乌沙科夫（Yuri Ushakov）表示：“普京强调指出，如果美国和以色列再次诉诸军事行动，不仅会对伊朗及其邻国，而且会对整个国际社会造成不可避免且极具破坏性的后果。” 此外，一位美国官员证实，正在中东地区执行对伊战争任务的美国海军三艘航母之一的福特号航空母舰，及其随行打击群预计将在未来几天内撤离该地区。 该打击群自去年6月起便处于部署状态，除在中东地区之外，他们也曾前往世界其他地区执行任务。
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