Russian National Charged For Interfering In US Elections - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2018) The United States charged a Russian citizen for conspiracy to meddle in US elections including the 2018 midterms, the Justice Department said in a press release on Friday.

"Today's charges allege that Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova conspired with others who were part of a Russian influence campaign to interfere with U.S. democracy," the release said.

Prosecutors claim Khusyaynova served as a senior accountant of Project Lakhta allegedly funded by businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin who is currently designated under US financial sanctions.

She was in charge of financial documents that describe in detail expenses for activities in the United States, including advertisements on social media networks, registration of domain Names, and spending on activists.

The release said a group of conspirators pretended to be US political activists and tried to hide their Russian origin. They set up thousands of social media accounts and emails which seemed to belong to Americans and used the online tools to influence the society and spread divisive content.

For instance, the conspirators advocated for the defeat of certain candidates in the 2016 US presidential elections and upcoming 2018 mid-terms.

Moreover, the accused persons used social media to publish content on such topics as the Second Amendment and gun laws in the United States, mass shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, and Las Vegas, the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and police brutality against African-Americans among other sensitive subjects.

The Justice Department said the activities of the group, however, did not affect the result of an election. The complaint also does not allege that any American engaged in the conspiracy knowingly or intentionally.

The charges have been released less than a month before the November mid-term elections and amid the FBI investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential race.

Moscow has repeatedly denied all accusations of meddling and called them baseless and absurd. President Donald Trump said he believes Russia has interfered in the 2016 election, but so did other countries, including China.