Maria Butina, a Russian politician who was jailed in the United States for over a year after admitting to conspiring to act as a clandestine foreign agent, criticized her former American boyfriend during a new podcast interview.
At the time of her arrest, Butina was involved in a relationship with Paul Erickson, a prominent political operative and consultant for the Republican Party. Butina became active in conservative circles while she dated Erickson, and she once claimed that she had put Russian officials in touch with members of former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
Butina pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy for having acted on behalf of a foreign government without notifying the attorney general and was eventually deported back to Russia after spending 15 months in U.S. prisons. Erickson was not charged with a crime in connection with the Butina case.
The Daily Beast described Butina's comments from the Infamous podcast in an episode scheduled for release on Thursday, including how she now considers Erickson to be a "monster."
"It still hurts," Butina told Infamous host Paul Glader, according to The Daily Beast. "You love a person, you're about to get married to a person who knows your parents and is so nice, [and he] turns out to be a monster."
Butina, who has been serving as a member of Russia's parliament since 2021 in addition to appearing as a frequent guest on Russian television, also accused Erickson of spending money from her bank account that she said her parents had given her to cover her legal fees.
Newsweek could not independently verify the claims made by Butina and has attempted to contact both Erickson and Butina for comment.
"He actually used my card because all his credit cards were blocked because of his FBI case. So they blocked everything," she said, per The Daily Beast. "I am his girlfriend. I am in jail. I'm in solitary confinement facing 15 years. And with no questions asked. He didn't ask me, my parents, he just takes this money."
Though Erickson was not charged with any crimes in relation to Butina, he pleaded guilty in 2020 to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in fraudulent investment schemes. He was given a seven-year prison sentence, but then-President Trump pardoned him in January 2021.
According to The Daily Beast's account of the Infamous podcast appearance, Butina said she feels Erickson was emboldened by getting an early release.
"I don't think he got his lesson, I think by being pardoned," she reportedly said.
Regarding the accusation of Erickson taking money from her bank account while she was in prison, Butina called it "the most painful betrayal in my life."
