Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
“The indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States, three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft,” Mueller’s office said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Those indicted were part of the Internet Research Agency, Russian-based company based in Saint Petersburg that engages on online influence operations on behalf of the Russian government.
IRA registered with the Russian government around July 2013 as a Russian corporate entity, according to the indictment. It said the attempt to interfere with the 2016 election began in May 2014 with the stated goal of “spreading distrust towards candidates and the political system in general.”
The Russians posted “derogatory information about a number of candidates,” and by mid-2016 they supported the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump and disparaged Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. They did this by buying political ads on social media in the names of U.S. people and entities.
The Russians also communicated with “unwitting” people tied to the Trump campaign and others to “coordinate” political activities.
Some of the defendants named even traveled to the U.S. “under false pretenses for the purpose of collecting intelligence” for the IRA’s operations.
“The defendants allegedly conducted what they called information warfare against the United States with the stated goal of spreading distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said during a press briefing at the Department of Justice Friday afternoon.
Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in May 2017, oversees his broad investigation in Russian meddling in the 2016 election and any possible ties with the Trump campaign.
“The Americans did not know they were communicating with the Russians,” Rosenstein said. “People are not always who they appear to be.”
But Rosenstein emphasized that “there is no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity.”
“There is no allegation in the indictment that the [Russians’] conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election,” he said.
Mueller’s office also announced the indictment of Richard Pinedo of California.
According to the unsealed indictment, from 2014 to December 2017, Pinedo operated an online service that offered a “variety of services designed to circumvent the security features of large online digital payment companies.”
Though Pinedo did not know he was helping the Russians, he knowingly used the IDs and bank account information of other people in connection with “unlawful activity.”
Pinedo, who pleaded guilty to identity fraud charges, is cooperating with Mueller.
