Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov

Charges, as published

• Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

Case details, as published by FBI

Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov is wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the Federal Election Commission, the United States Department of Justice, and the United States Department of State. This occurred in Washington, D.C., from early 2014 to February 16, 2018. Bystrov operated as General Director of the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA), an organization allegedly engaged in political and electoral interference operations in the United States which included the purchase of American computer server space, the creation of hundreds of fictitious online personas, and the use of stolen identities of persons from the United States. These actions were allegedly taken to reach significant numbers of Americans for the purposes of interfering with the United States political system, including the 2016 Presidential Election. Bystrov also served as the head of various companies used by the IRA to mask its activities. On February 16, 2018, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia after he was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.