Admitted Russian Agent Came to U.S. on Student Visa

A Russian national who pleaded guilty Thursday to acting as a foreign agent in the U.S. entered the country in 2016 on a student visa and completed a master’s degree at American University.

The New York Times reported that in pleading guilty to a single charge of conspiring to act as a foreign agent, Maria Butina admitted to participating in a scheme, backed by Russian officials, to cultivate positive attitudes toward Russia among influential Americans in the National Rifle Association and the Republican Party. Prosecutors said in court filings that Butina genuinely wanted a graduate degree and was not merely posing as a student in order to live in the U.S.