ROBERT N. DRISCOLL
(202) 802-9950
Fax (202) 403-3870
rdriscoll@mcglinchey.com

July 25, 2019

By Email Only
John H. Durham
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut
Connecticut Financial Center
157 Church Street, 23rd Floor
New Haven, CT 06510
john.durham@usdoj.gov
Michael E. Horowitz
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 4706
Washington, DC 20530
michael.e.horowitz@usdoj.gov
Corey Amundson
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 3266
Washington, DC 20530
corey.amundson@usdoj.gov
RE:

United States v. Mariia Butina, a/k/a Maria Butina
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Criminal Case #18-218

Dear Messrs. Durham, Horowitz, and Amundson:
As you may know, I and this law office represented Maria Butina, the Russian national,
who was arrested and indicted last year and pleaded guilty this spring to one count of conspiracy
in the above-referenced case. I recently learned of new information that concerns this matter, and
I write because this new material suggests possible misconduct on the part of federal agents or
assistant attorneys who investigated and prosecuted Maria. While her case was handled by the
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, and not the Special Counsel (and thus may be an
OPR matter), it appears that some of the issues raised by the information I received relate to FBI
counterintelligence operations with respect to Russia leading up to the 2016 election, and thus
may fall within the scope of matters being investigated by Messrs. Durham and Horowitz.

McGlinchey Stafford PLLC in AL, FL, LA, MA, MS, NY, OH, TN, TX, and DC. McGlinchey Stafford LLP in CA.

 John H. Durham, et al.
July 25, 2019
Page 2 of 4
For background, subsequent to Maria’s arrest and indictment in July 2018, District Judge
Tanya Chutkan emphasized the government’s obligation to promptly provide Brady material to
the defense:

(Jul. 25, 2018 Tr. at 20.)
By email, letter, phone, and in person, the defense repeatedly pressed the government for
any Brady material and was not provided any. In particular, we suggested to the government a
strong suspicion that counterintelligence or other FBI investigators used confidential informants
(“CIs”) in their investigation of Maria, and that information provided by such witnesses to the
government might be relevant to guilt or sentencing. Moreover, we suggested that the
government had presented Maria with one or more “dangles”—that is, orchestrated opportunities
to provide the government information unwittingly while being observed.
In writing, the government denied the existence of any such Brady material. Orally,
during debrief sessions with Maria, I directly told the government that I believed Patrick Byrne,
Chief Executive of Overstock.com, who had a sporadic relationship with Maria over a period of
years prior to her arrest, was a government informant. My speculation was flatly denied. My
associate Alfred Carry made similar assertions in a separate debrief that he covered and was also
rebuffed.
Mr. Byrne has now contacted me and has confirmed that he, indeed, had a “non-standard
arrangement” with the FBI for many years, and that beginning in 2015 through Maria’s arrest, he
communicated and assisted government agents with their investigation of Maria. During this
time, he stated he acted at the direction of the government and federal agents by, at their
instruction, kindling a manipulative romantic relationship with her. He also told me that some of
the details he provided the government regarding Maria in response was exculpatory—that is, he

 John H. Durham, et al.
July 25, 2019
Page 3 of 4
reported to the government that Maria’s behavior and interaction with him was inconsistent with
her being a foreign agent and more likely an idealist and age-appropriate peace activist.
As an adjunct university professor and CEO of a public company, Mr. Byrne is a credible
source of information, who from my view has little to gain but much to lose by disclosing a
sporadic relationship with Maria. His claims are worthy of investigation. Indeed, he has much to
say about the government’s handling of Maria’s case that go far beyond the Brady issue I raise in
this letter. Regardless of these other issues, which I suggest you pursue directly with him, I was
told the following by Mr. Byrne.
Byrne met Maria for the first time at the FreedomFest convention in Las Vegas in July
2015. After meeting her, he felt he had an obligation to report the contact due to his security
clearance. So he reported the contact to the FBI agents he worked with prior and was familiar. In
response, Byrne stated the government told him in 2015 that Maria was “fine” and that he should
not be concerned about her because she had been “looked into.” (This is consistent with the fact
that Maria was granted a student visa to study in the United States in 2016.)
Byrne continued communicating with the government about his contacts with Maria.
Byrne evidently informed the government of many meetings with political and other figures that
Maria had and mentioned to him, often in advance of the meetings themselves. The government
did not intervene or try to stop any meetings, nor did they express any concern. (This undercuts
the government’s position at sentencing that Maria’s activities involved collection of information
that could be of “substantial intelligence value to the Russian government” or pose a “serious
potential to harm U.S. foreign policy interests and national security” as those same activities
were observed and permitted for years.)
At some point prior to the 2016 election, when Byrne’s contact with Maria diminished or
ceased, the government asked and encouraged him to renew contact with her and he did so,
continuing to inform the government of her activities. Byrne states he was informed by
government agents that his pursuit and involvement with Maria (and concomitant surveillance of
her) was requested and directed from the highest levels of the FBI and intelligence community.
As time passed, Byrne became more and more convinced that Maria was what she said
she was—an inquisitive student in favor of better U.S.-Russian relations—and not an agent of
the Russian government or someone involved in espionage or illegal activities. He states he
conveyed these thoughts and the corroborating facts and observations about Maria to the
government.
Subsequent to Maria’s arrest, incarceration, plea, and sentencing, Byrne has felt remorse
for the role he played in Maria’s situation. In view of recent reports of other alleged government
misconduct, he has also expressed a fear that political motives may have influenced the
government’s handling of Maria’s case. His recollection of certain conversations with
government agents would appear to validate his concern.

 John H. Durham, et al.
July 25, 2019
Page 4 of 4
As defense counsel, I admittedly have limited visibility into the handling of Maria’s case
and cannot independently verify everything I’ve been told short of litigation. This is why I write
the three of you, so that the matter can be investigated appropriately and, hopefully,
expeditiously as Maria is incarcerated and scheduled to be deported upon completion of her
sentence (estimated in October). If helpful, what I can represent is that Mr. Byrne’s descriptions
of his interactions with Maria are consistent with what she has already told the government.
Thus, at least part of the information I received from Byrne and can verify is accurate.
I leave the decision as to whose jurisdiction this matter falls under to the three of you to
decide. I will try to make myself available on your schedule as needed to discuss the information
I received in further detail (of which there is much). Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
McGlinchey Stafford
/s/
Robert N. Driscoll