Mariia Butina, alleged Russian spy and 'honeypot' continues to be held in jail without bond after her second hearing on Wednesday as she has been labeled a flight risk by federal prosecutors, and the Judge concurs.
Butina is alleged to have "infiltrated" Republican politics and attempted to exchange sex for political access. She also is alleged to have communicated with known Russian intelligence during her time in America, the prosecutors stated in court on Wednesday. She posed as a graduate student for her cover while her real mission, as alleged by prosecutors, was to gain political access to Republicans on behalf of Russian intelligence.
She has been charged with two criminal charges of conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent in the US, charges which have been crafted around a treasure trove of photos, texts, private Twitter direct messages and other communications she had with Russians discussing her plants to infiltrate the GOP. She faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. This charge comes less than a week after 12 Russian intelligence officers were indicted for the hack of the US election, although the chances of them ever being apprehended and sitting in an American jail are approximately zero.
She has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges and continues to be held without bond until her trial. Her attorney argued that she is just a graduate student who poses no flight risk *snort* and should be released with weekly check-ins with law enforcement.
Of course out of jail she could find a way to the Russian Embassy where she'd be out of range of prosecution. Everyone in the courtroom knew that.
On Thursday morning, an additional layer to this story broke. Allegedly, Russian Embassy officials will visit her in jail and have vowed to help her with any assistance necessary.
Sure they did.
And about that "honeypot." If Maria Butina was trading sexual favors for access to power, she did that more than once. With Republicans in power. All will be revealed, because the feds are not playing here, they are sweating her in an orange jumpsuit and jail cell.
Frances Langum contributed to this post.
