Russian agent Maria Butina's boyfriend, Paul Erickson, charged with fraud
![Maria Butina.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xb2KKN4uLGQ7LK9aBiGRgF-415-80.jpg)
Paul Erickson, a Republican political operative who dated Russian agent Maria Butina, has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering in South Dakota.
Erickson, 57, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, and is out on bond. His federal indictment is separate from Butina's, and he stands accused of defrauding investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in three real estate and health care ventures.
Prosecutors said Butina was part of a secret Russian influence campaign, able to gain access to conservative politicians and members of the National Rifle Association through Erickson. Together, Butina and Erickson arranged for NRA leaders to visit Russia in December 2015, where they attended meetings with top government officials.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Butina pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, admitting that she worked on behalf of a high-level Russian official to "establish unofficial lines of communications with Americans who have power and influence over U.S. politics." She is awaiting sentencing.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The worst baseball franchises of the Wild Card era
The Explainer These teams have consistently failed to find a winning formula
By David Faris Published
-
Canadian takeover bid for Japan's 7-Eleven could change how the Asian country does business
In the Spotlight Would a foreign company upend konbini culture?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why are older workers staying on the job?
Today's Big Question And what does it mean for younger workers?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published