An unsealed indictment revealed a Russian National was charged with allegedly orchestrating a yearslong "foreign malign influence campaign" that used U.S. citizens, some in the Tampa Bay area, to act as illegal agents of the Russian government, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Florida. Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov of Moscow, Russia, in conjunction with at least three Russian officials, from at least December 2014 through March 2022, is accused of using several U.S. political groups to "sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda and interfere in elections within the United States." The indictment states Ionov is also the founder and president of Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia — an organization headquartered in Moscow and funded by the Russian government, the report states. One group of different entities Ionov targeted was based in St. Petersburg, the U.S. Attorney's Office said, in addition to other groups in Georgia and California. For more: https://bit.ly/3GUyEXp ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay