US activist Paul Erickson, who was dating Russian national Maria Butina, currently jailed in the United States, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering, the US Attorney's Office in the District of South Dakota said in a press release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) US activist Paul Erickson, who was dating Russian national Maria Butina, currently jailed in the United States, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering, the US Attorney's Office in the District of South Dakota said in a press release.
"United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a Federal grand jury on 11 counts of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering. Paul Erickson, age 56, was indicted on February 5, 2019 ... The Indictment alleges that on or about 1996, through August of 2018, Erickson knowingly and unlawfully devised a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money from many victims by means of false and fraudulent pretense, representations, and promises," the press release, published on Wednesday, read.
During that period, Erickson owned and ran several land development companies in North Dakota, according to the press release.
"Erickson made various false and fraudulent representations to individuals located in South Dakota and elsewhere, to induce those investors to give him money to invest in his businesses, which were part of a scheme to defraud them and personally enrich Erickson," the document explained.
The charges were brought in an the case apparently unrelated to Butina. If found guilty, Erickson may face up to 20 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of Dollars in fines.
The attorney's office added that Erickson was presumed innocent and was released on bond, while the date of his trial had not been set yet.
Butina was arrested in Washington, DC in mid-July last year on suspicion of working as a foreign agent for the Russian government. The young woman initially denied the charges, but in December 2018, she agreed to cooperate with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. The Russian national now faces up to five years in prison, instead of the initial 15 years.
US prosecutors have suggested that Erickson, the consultant for the US Republic Party, helped Butina establish ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA).
