WASHINGTON, August 18. /TASS/. A fund in support of Russian citizen Maria Butina, currently in custody in the United States, was opened on the Internet, her lawyer Robert Driscoll told TASS on Friday.
The website, which calls on people to make donations to support efforts of Butina’s defense to secure her release, is in Russian and English languages and holds pictures of the detained Russian national as well as her short biography.
"Your donations will help Maria and her lawyers to provide the best possible defense in court for her," a statement from the authors of the website says. "We will be very grateful for donations from friends and supporters. Information about sponsors will be strictly confidential."
Butina’s lawyer Driscoll told TASS that "The fund was established to allow friends and supporters to help pay for her legal defense."
"Donations of large or small sums are welcome as easily made via the website," he said. "We have not fixed a particular amount, but her defense will be expensive."
"For example, the government will produce over 10 Terabytes of data for the defense to review - the equivalent of millions of pages," Butina’s lawyer stated. "Fortunately, a generous American supporter paid her legal fees up until her arrest (i.e., for the Senate testimony and documents production) but now the costs have escalated and she needs financial support."
Driscoll thanked TASS for highlighting this issue saying "I appreciate that you will write a story on this. I think strong donations (both in terms of dollars and numbers of small donations) will let her know how much people in Russia, America, and around the world support her."
Maria Butina, 29, was arrested in Washington on July 15, on the eve of the Helsinki summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. The Russian gun rights activist is facing charges of conspiracy for conducting activities in the interests of a foreign state. Investigators claim that she was engaged in these activities without registering as a foreign agent at the US Department of Justice.
The FBI said Butina arrived in the United States in August 2016 on a student entry visa and took up studies at the American University. She received the master’s degree in international relations in May 2018, according to her lawyer.
Butina is a member of the board of the Russian public associations ‘The Right to Guns’. In this capacity, she attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February 2017 where President Donald Trump took part.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier that Moscow considered Washington’s allegations against Butina to be groundless and politically motivated. According to her, Russia has been doing everything possible to protect the woman’s legitimate rights and interests.