• Maria Butina is an Alleged Russia agent

Maria Butina's ties with Russian intelligence make her a flight risk, a federal judge ruled, and she will be held until her trial.

A lawyer for the 29-year-old said she has been co-operating with the US government for several months.

Ms Butina, who was arrested on Sunday, appeared on Wednesday afternoon at a US court in Washington DC.

US Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson ruled that the government had proved there are no conditions of her release that would guarantee her return to court for trial.

On Wednesday, Moscow's foreign ministry said Ms Butina's arrest was designed to undermine the "positive results" of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday.

Court filings on Wednesday say Ms Butina was living with an unnamed 56-year-old American - identified in documents as US Person 1 - with whom she had a "personal relationship".



In some of her photos on social media, Ms Butina is seen with Paul Erickson, a South Dakota-based conservative political activist who is listed in public records as being 56 years old.

She had "expressed disdain for continuing to cohabitate with" the American man, according to documents seized by the FBI.

The documents do not name the organization in question. But her social media accounts show she frequented National Rifle Association (NRA) events.

Ms Butina's lawyer has denied all the allegations.

The Department of Justice alleges that Ms Butina worked "under the direction and control" of a senior Russian official who is not named in charging documents.

Court papers say the Russian official acted as her handler, and coached her through online messages.

"Right now everything has to be quiet and careful," Ms Butina allegedly wrote to her contact through a private Twitter message, a month before the 2016 presidential election.

On the night of the vote, court filings say she messaged the Russian official: "I'm going to sleep. It's 3 a.m. here. I am ready for further orders."

She tried to establish "back channel" lines of communication to "penetrate the US national decision-making apparatus", the Justice Department said.

During her time in the US, she fostered relationships with conservative pro-gun groups.

Ms Butina's Facebook page includes pictures of her attending events where she met other well-known American politicians, including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

According to US media, the Russian official appears to be Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia's Central Bank and a well-connected ex-Russian senator from President Putin's political party. He was targeted by US Department of Treasury sanctions in April.

Ms Butina posted several photos to her social media accounts over the past few years showing her with Mr Torshin.

On her visa application, Ms Butina said she had previously been employed as special assistant to Mr Torshin.

At a news briefing on Wednesday White House stonewall Sarah Sanders said: "We're looking at that; but this is a lengthy process."



Spanish Prosecutor Said ‘Trump’s Son Should be Concerned’ About Maria Butina

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has received copies of wiretaps obtained by Spanish police which implicate Donald Trump Jr. in a plot to meet with Alexander Torshin, a high-ranking official of Russia’s Central Bank. And, the prosecutor notes, those wiretaps don’t bode well for the president’s son.

This was originally reported in May of this year but is moving up to the front burner because Torshin is said to have been the handler of alleged Russian agent Mariia “Maria” Butina. She arrested last week on charges of attempting to influence U.S. elections on the Kremlin’s behalf.

Prosecutor José Grinda leads investigations into Spanish and foreign organized crime operating in Spain. According to Grinda, FBI officials recently requested and received wiretapped conversations between Torshin and Alexander Romanov. Romanov, was convicted of money laundering–after pleading guilty–in mid-2016.

Grinda noted: “Just a few months ago, the wiretaps of these telephone conversations were given to the FBI. – Mr. Trump’s son should be concerned.”

During the Guardia Civil wiretap of Romanov’s phone Grinda reportedly obtained 33 conversations with Torshin–including some allegedly implicating Donald Trump Jr.

Editor’s note: this story has been amended to clarify both Alexander Torshin’s alleged working relationship with Mariia Butina and the relevance of this news from May in light of recent events.