translated from Spanish: Sentenced to jail Russian agent arrested in U.S.

María Butina, the Russian woman who was arrested in States Unid I last July accused of acting as an agent of Russia without proper registration, was sentenced this Friday (26.04.2019) by a federal court to 18 months in prison, local media reported.
According to the prosecution, the alleged Russian spy wove a network of influential contacts in United States to benefit the Kremlin in an operation that began in March 2015, and that ended in July of 2018, when she was arrested.
The 30-year-old woman pleaded guilty last December of conspiring to act as a foreign agent to gather intelligence information about the National Rifle Association (NRA) and activists and conservative Republicans of the United States.
Threat to United States
“I humbly ask forgiveness. I am not that evil person showing media”, Butina told the Court in Washington.
Butina received the maximum sentence requested by prosecutors, despite having admitted a charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign Government without declaring it to the US authorities, as required by law.
The Russian agent faces another nine months in custody, since he has served half of his sentence. After serving 18 months, will be deported.
“I wanted a future here in international politics”, said in a broken voice, and added that he only wanted to work to improve relations between the United States and Russia.
Prosecutors said that although he worked openly and was not linked to any Russian intelligence agency it was a threat to the United States.

Original source in Spanish