A Russian central bank staffer with close ties to the National Rifle Association has been charged with acting as an agent for Russia, without registering with the U.S. government as required by law, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Maria Butina, 29, the founder of Russian gun rights group the Right to Bear Arms and former assistant to Aleksandr Torshin, a former Russian senator and close friend of President Vladmir Putin, was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the U.S.