Boyfriend of Russian agent Maria Butina charged with fraud

A conservative political operative and the boyfriend of Maria Butina, the woman who admitted late last year she was an agent for the Russian government, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to numerous counts of wire fraud and money laundering.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release that Paul Erickson, 56, devised fraud schemes that affected “many victims” from 1996 through last August. Prosecutors allege that Erickson made false promises to investors when he pitched them on a land development deal in North Dakota, and when he courted investors for his business.

Erickson is charged with 11 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. He was released on bond, the DOJ said. 

{mosads}The charges do not appear to be related to the case of Butina, The Associated Press noted. Erickson and Butina developed a multi-year romantic relationship during her time in the U.S.

Butina, a Russian national, pleaded guilty in December to acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government in the U.S. She faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Butina admitted that she and an American, known in court documents as “U.S. Person 1,” conspired with and acted under the direction of a Russian government official to establish unofficial lines of communications with people able to influence U.S. politics leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Attorneys for Butina have identified U.S. Person 1 as Erickson.