Indictment says Russian-funded RT funneled nearly $10 million to U.S. influencers

U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment that charged two Moscow-based employees of the Russian state-funded broadcaster RT with orchestrating a covert funding operation that funneled nearly $10 million into English-language political content aimed at U.S. audiences. The indictment names Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva and charges them with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The filings allege RT routed about $9.7 million from October 2023 through August 2024 via shell companies and fabricated identities to a Tennessee content company referred to in reporting as Tenet Media. The indictment contends those transfers represented roughly 90 percent of Tenet’s bank deposits during that interval and that Tenet later disbursed approximately $8.7 million to production companies of three commentators. Prosecutors say the operation used a fictional financier persona, “Eduard Grigoriann,” and false personas to conceal RT’s role while recruiting U.S. influencers and production firms.

According to the indictment, the Tennessee firm contracted with prominent conservative internet commentators to produce videos and other social-media material for platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X. The indictment cites nearly 2,000 YouTube videos tied to the network that garnered more than 16 million views. Named commentators reported in coverage include Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson; the indictment does not charge the commentators with crimes and states some contributors were reportedly deceived about the true source of funding. One contract described in filings reportedly offered a $400,000 monthly fee, a $100,000 signing bonus and performance payments.

The Justice Department framed the charges as part of a broader Russian malign-influence effort identified in a signed DOJ affidavit as “Doppelganger,” which prosecutors said employed influencers, AI-created content and impersonation of news outlets to erode support for Ukraine and amplify pro-Russian narratives. The department announced that on Sept. 4 it seized 32 internet domains tied to malign influence campaigns and coordinated with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on designations of 10 individuals and two entities.

Platform responses followed the unsealing and related enforcement actions. YouTube removed channels tied to the Tennessee network and associated production accounts, and other social platforms took down linked content and accounts as part of wider moderation moves against coordinated inauthentic influence operations. Those removals reduce the immediate reach of the videos but do not negate the millions of views and audience exposure accumulated before the content was taken down.

Beyond the criminal and national security implications, the case underscores economic and market risks for platforms and creators. Nearly $10 million in covert financing directed to platform-distributed content highlights vulnerabilities in advertising and creator monetization systems, and it raises the prospect of higher compliance costs for platforms and agencies vetting funding sources. Treasury and DOJ actions also signal regulators may increasingly use financial sanctions and FARA enforcement to counter foreign influence, potentially prompting media companies and advertisers to tighten vetting of large creator contracts.

The indictment opens a legal and policy test case on the boundaries of FARA and the responsibility of intermediaries in policing covert foreign funding. Prosecutors will next seek to prove that RT employees intentionally concealed foreign direction and that the Tennessee firm acted as an undeclared agent. The case arrives amid ongoing debates over platform transparency, election integrity and the growing use of sophisticated digital tools to steer political discourse.