Biography
Maria Valeryevna Butina, a Russian gun-rights activist and American University graduate student born in Barnaul, Siberia, founded the Russian organization Right to Bear Arms and built ties with American gun-rights groups. She was arrested in Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2018 and charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian Federation. Held without bail for nine months, she pleaded guilty on December 13, 2018 to the conspiracy count and was sentenced on April 26, 2019 to 18 months in federal prison. Her prosecution was widely covered as a test of how far 18 U.S.C. section 951 reaches into political networking and influence activity. She served her remaining term at FCI Tallahassee, was released on October 25, 2019, and was immediately deported to Russia, where she was later elected to the State Duma.
