U.S. grand jury indicts woman on charges of being Russian agent

A U.S. grand jury on Tuesdayindicted a Russian woman on charges of acting as an agent of theRussian government, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Maria Butina, who studied at American University inWashington and is a founder of the pro-gun Russian advocacygroup Right to Bear Arms, was arrested on Sunday and isscheduled to appear on Wednesday in federal court in Washington,the department said.

Federal prosecutors allege Butina's activities includedefforts to use contacts with the National Rifle Association to develop relationships with U.S. politicians during the 2016 campaign.

Butina's advocacy for gun ownership is well documented on her social media feeds, and the Justice Department said in its complaint that sheworked to try to influence American politics by developing contacts within the NRA.

HerFacebook account includesphotos of her at theNRA's annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., in April 2015.

In several of Facebookphotos, she is seen with AlexanderTorshin, deputy governorofRussia's Central Bank and a former Russian senator. He served in the upper house of the Russian parliamentfrom 2001 to 2015.

According to U.S. media outlets, Torshin was a voting member of the NRA. Last April, he was added to the list of Russian government officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.