Maria Butina’s life inside the American penal system “sucked” but got better over time, the Russian citizen’s U.S. contacts said. Butina leaves prison tomorrow and will travel to Moscow accompanied by two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Butina, 30, otherwise known as Federal Inmate 35406-016, pleaded guilty last year to trying to infiltrate conservative political circles and influence U.S. relations with Russia. A federal judge sentenced her in April 2018 to 18 months in prison.
While detractors and supporters — including Russian President Vladimir Putin — debated the merits of Butina’s arrest, conviction, and sentence, Butina settled in behind bars. In 2018, while awaiting trial, Butina lived at the Alexandria Detention Center in Northern Virginia.
“She didn’t cause any trouble” while there, one law enforcement official told the Washington Examiner. “She was quiet and kept to herself.” The solitude was imposed on her, said Robert Driscoll, Butina’s lawyer, who said she was kept indoors with poor food and little access to sunlight.
“She looked like shit,” Driscoll said of the pale young woman. “She looked callow in Alexandria.” While in Alexandria, Butina frequently saw a Russian Orthodox priest who counseled her on spiritual matters and brought theological books for her to read.
“She always seemed to enjoy those visits,” the law enforcement source said. “She talked about going into a monastery,” Driscoll told the Washington Examiner.
Life for Butina improved when she transferred to Federal Correctional Institute Tallahassee, a low-security prison in Florida. “She looked better in Florida,” Driscoll said. “When you’re in a shitty condition, terrible makes you happy.”
The improvements included a new diet. “She was really happy about the food,” Driscoll said. “She gained some weight, in a healthy way. She was happy to get fruit and vegetables every day.”
In Florida, Butina worked in the prison cafeteria, Driscoll said, washing dishes and then later serving food. Each morning, Butina went for a five-mile run around the prison track before reporting to work at 10 a.m. Her shift ended at 6 p.m.
“After work, she had some downtime when she could read, or answer mail, or have time to herself,” Driscoll said. “Then she’d go to bed and the next day start it all again.” While Butina was incarcerated, friends sent money into her prison bank account. She used the funds to buy an MP-3 player and running shoes, Driscoll said.
One of the last things Butina bought was a mail-order outfit from Amazon. She plans to wear the new outfit on Friday morning when she walks out of prison and steps into a white ICE van, headed to the airport and home.
