Russian Misinformation Campaign Linked To FL Uhuru House: Report

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A Russian is accused of working with a St. Petersburg political group to interfere with local elections, spread pro-Russia propaganda and disseminate misinformation about Western political views, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

For the past seven years, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, working with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), has operated a “malign influence campaign,” relying on social media to carry out the campaign, the DOJ said.

Ionov is charged with conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents of the Russian government. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

During their investigation, the FBI carried out three court-authorized search warrants at what has been identified as the Uhuru House by multiple media outlets.

The indictment against Ionov, which was unsealed Friday in Tampa, doesn’t explicitly name the Uhuru Movement, instead referring to “U.S. Political Group 1” in Florida. He also allegedly worked with two other political groups, one in Atlanta and the other in Sacramento.

Those speaking at a news conference Friday in St. Petersburg declined to name the political group in Florida. St. Petersburg police confirmed to the Tampa Bay Times, though, that federal agents served a warrant to the Uhuru House.

The house, located at 1245 18th Ave. S., was raided Friday morning and agents were seen removing multiple boxes from the property, WTSP reported.

The worldwide Uhuru Movement falls under the African People's Socialist Party, "uniting African people as one people for liberation, social justice, self-reliance and economic development," according to the party’s website.