US Charges Ex-Employee of American Embassy in Moscow With Conspiracy to Defraud Refugee Program

Olesya Krasilova, an employee of the All-Russian Center for Plants Quarantine, an agency of the country’s agriculture watchdog, was arrested in Spain in mid-February, possibly following a request by the US, according to the foreign ministry.

The US Justice Department on Friday charged a Russian-native former employee of the US Embassy in Moscow with conspiracy to steal records and defraud the refugee program, according to a press release.

Krasilova has not been apprehended and is in fact a Russian citizen, the indictment states.

The charges unsealed on Friday “demonstrate the commitment of the US Attorney’s Office to protect the integrity of critical government functions like the US Refugee Admissions Program”, which, according to the document, exists “to identify and admit qualified refugees for resettlement in the United States”.

Krasilova was in Spain for a short business trip and was detained on the Tenerife island.

In March, Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova strongly condemned Krasilova’s detention, saying it was yet “another example of the US hunting for Russians all across the globe.”

As mentioned in the press release, the US Department of Justice also charged Aws Muwafaq Abduljabbar and Haitham Isa Saado Sad, who were employed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in Amman, Jordan.

Under US law, the maximum sentence for conspiracy to commit a crime or defrauding the US government is five years. The maximum penalty for the theft of government records is 10 years, and the maximum penalty is 20 years for conspiracy to launder money.

Sourse: sputniknews.com