A former adviser to a New York venture-capital firm was accused of being a Russian agent who arranged a meeting for Russian officials with a New York state senator.
Elena Branson allegedly corresponded directly with Vladimir Putin and a high-level Russian minister before launching the Russian Center New York from her Manhattan home in 2012, federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint filed Tuesday. She was paid $173,000 from Russian government-controlled entities for her work and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, lying to the FBI, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
Branson also sat on the advisory board of Manhattan Venture Partners, a firm
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