Hot on the heels of the recent news of new federal indictments against 12 Russians for 2016 election meddling, Maryland officials decided to share a bit of related information: the FBI informed them that the state’s voter systems have Russian ties. WBAL 11 reports:
In a statement, officials said they have been told the software firm that hosts many of the election board's online systems -- such as statewide registration, candidacy, and election night results -- is financed by a Russian oligarch.
According to the FBI, officials said ByteGrid LLC, the web-hosting firm, is financed by AltPoint Capital Partners, whose fund manager is a Russian, and its largest investor is a Russian oligarch named Vladimir Potanin.
Potanin, the biggest financier of the firm, is one of 96 oligarchs listed by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to be a part of Putin’s inner circle. The billionaire reportedly got his money from mining, banking, and real estate—and was the host of the Russian version of The Apprentice, which was a TV flop.