Alleged Russian Spy Maria Butina Is Moved To Virginia Jail Where Manafort Is Locked Up

Without advance notice, accused Russian spy Maria Butina was moved from a Washington, D.C., federal prison to the same jail in Alexandria, Virginia, where Paul Manafort is being held while he’s on trial. Butina is being accused of acting as a secret agent for the Kremlin, latching onto men in the United States to move up the ladder.

The Daily Beast says that Butina’s lawyer, Robert Driscoll, found out that his client was moved from D.C. to Virginia after the fact. He said he got a call from Butina late one night.

“I got a collect call from Maria from Alexandria Detention at midnight last night, but was disconnected before we could speak. I couldn’t get into the facility last night, but visited her this morning. She was not informed of the reason for the move. I was not notified of the move, and still am unaware of the reason.”

Amy Bertsch, the spokesperson for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Butina had been moved to the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center that night. She added that federal prisoners were held there, as well as those arrested in Virginia. She also added that Manafort was being housed at the same facility.

Maria Butina, the Russian national accused of acting as a Kremlin agent in the United States, was abruptly moved to the jail in Alexandria where Paul Manafort is currently being held. https://t.co/DehSPpEGc2

— SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) August 18, 2018

But while the facility is around the corner from where Manafort’s trial is being held, Butina has hearings back in D.C. closer to her former facility. The Daily Beast reached out to the Justice Department to ask why Butina was moved and was not given a response. Maria Butina has pleaded not guilty to the charges that she was serving as a secret Russian agent.

The move could be a result of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accusing the U.S. government of mistreating Butina in the Washington, D.C., detention center, but at this time it’s impossible to know.

The Washington Post contacted the U.S. Marshals Service to ask why Butina had been moved to a Virginia facility, but they said they don’t comment about such matters.

“As a matter of policy, we do not disclose information related to individual prisoners to protect their privacy, safety and security.”

The Russian embassy claims that Butina did nothing wrong, and says that her arrest was “politically motivated.” And the Russian embassy has been tweeting to that effect.

“It seems as if Washington is trying to force her to cooperate with the investigation by making her living conditions as difficult as possible.”

Robert Driscoll says he has still not been provided with a reason for the move.