https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/maria-butina-nra-putin-russian-oligarch/
"Maria Butina—the 29-year-old Russian who penetrated the NRA and other conservative groups and who this week was arrested and accused of functioning as a spy for Moscow—allegedly had help from from some well-connected and extremely wealthy men in her motherland. According to a filing submitted in court by federal prosecutors on Wednesday, Butina “has ties to the Russian oligarchy.” The document notes that her private tweets, emails, and chats “refer to a known Russian businessman with deep ties to the Russian Presidential Administration.” In other words, a businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. All of which prompts an important question: Who exactly was this Putin-friendly Russian billionaire who was allegedly assisting Butina? The document doesn’t identify the Russian moneybags. It only includes this description: “This person often travels to the United States and has also been referred to as her ‘funder’ throughout her correspondence; he was listed in Forbes as having a real-time net worth of $1.2 billion as of 2018.” That latter piece of information is a rather specific clue. But if you turn to the Forbeslist, you will find there are 12 Russians listed at the $1.2 billion mark. There are, however, two in this group known to have a close relationship with Putin."
