US Charges Russian Cherkasov for Allegedly Acting as Foreign Agent, Fraud - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States charged Russian national Sergey Cherkasov for allegedly acting as a foreign agent and engaging in visa and wire fraud, the US Justice Department said in a release.

"Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov ('Cherkasov'), 37, a national of the Russian Federation who operated as an 'Illegal' agent for a Russian Intelligence Service under the Brazilian alias of Victor Muller Ferreira, was charged today for acting as an agent of a foreign power, visa fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and other charges stemming from his illegal activities in the United States," the Justice Department said in the release on Friday.

Federal prosecutors accuse Cherkasov of acting as an illegal foreign agent in the United States between 2012 and April 2022 by using his Brazilian alias identity, which he used to obtain a US visa in 2017, the release said.

Cherkasov allegedly gathered information about US persons of interest and passed it to his Russian intelligence handlers, according to the Justice Department.

Cherkasov left the United States around May 2020 but allegedly used connections he established at a university he attended to obtain information about US foreign policy that he passed on to his Russian intelligence handlers in 2021 and 2022, the release added.

The Russian national unsuccessfully sought employment at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in April 2022. He then returned to Brazil where he was arrested by authorities on fraud charges over his alleged use of a fake identify, the release said.

The release did not disclose any information about Cherkasov's initial hearing or how many years in prison he may face if convicted.