According to a breaking news report from the Daily Beast, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
Linking to a Justice Department document, the Beast reports that lead defendant in Muellers indictment is the “Internet Research Agency,” known as Russia’s “troll farm.”
The counts include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. According to the federal complaint, “Some Defendants, posing as US persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign.”
Friday’s indictments mark the first time criminal charges have been brought against Russians for interfering in the U.S. election process.
The indictment says the conspiracy involved Russian nationals traveling to the US under false pretenses to conduct research as early as June 2014 https://t.co/kaKtvxerhI
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
The indictment further charges the Russians with setting up VPNs in the US to mask their place of origin and work.
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
They worked to spread derogatory information about Cruz, Rubio and Clinton and to elevate Trump and Sanders, the document says. pic.twitter.com/9QwTsjE18X
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
Add PayPal to the list of tech companies that made this fraud on the U.S. public possible. https://t.co/kaKtvxerhI pic.twitter.com/IFUFKmrMCi
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
The Russian-funded political ads included the following pic.twitter.com/Ayhsqne9jS
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
The Russians paid people to depict Clinton in a cage at Florida rally, the indictment says: pic.twitter.com/yw7kSQPD6L
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
The swing states targeted by Russian actions included Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina, according to the indictment.
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
"The Americans believed it was written by their people." https://t.co/kaKtvxerhI pic.twitter.com/DMP4gNUfna
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) February 16, 2018
Read the Justice Department’s indictment here.
Featured image via screen grab/YouTube