Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday filed his first criminal charges against Russian nationals and businesses in his investigation of Russian government influence in the 2016 election and collusion with the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump.
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The defendants are accused of working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, which is also under indictment for allegedly conducting information operations to influence the 2016 election in the United States.
The Internet Research Agency operated what's become known as "troll farm" in Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown that employed hundreds of English speakers to pose as Americans and gin up controversy and discord on Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites during the months leading up to the election.
The company, referred to as the "ORGANIZATION" in the indictment, "had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including... supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton," according to the indictment.
Thirteen Russian nationals were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Three defendants were also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Five defendants were charged with aggravated identity theft. Here's a rundown:
Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin
Prigozhin, 56, is a businessman from St. Petersburg who’s been called “Putin’s chef” by Russian media because his restaurants and catering businesses have hosted dinners between Putin and foreign dignitaries.
Prigozhin is on the list of those sanctioned by the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
Prigozhin is accused of funding the Internet Research Agency, through companies he controlled —Concord Management and Consulting, and Concord Catering — and using them to launch operations against America. He paid the "ORGANIZATION," all the rest of the defendants and other unnamed employees, the indictment said.
Prigozhin's co-defendants arranged through social media for a U.S. person to stand in front of the White House on May 29, 2016, three days before Prigozhin's birthday, with a sign saying "Happy 55th Birthday Dear Boss."
“The Americans are very impressionable people, they see what they want to see,” Prigozhin reportedly told the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti on Friday. “I have a lot of respect for them. I am not upset at all that I ended up on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him.”
Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov
Bystrov allegedly was named the general director of the Internet Research Agency, and served as the head of various other entities it used to mask its activities, including Glavset LLC, where he was also listed as general director.
He is accused of holding regular meetings with Prigozhin around 2015 and 2016. Bystrov is a retired police colonel, according to Voice of America.
Source: Usatoday News
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