BASIC INFO
Press Release: DOJ Press Release
Indictment: 32 pages
Defendants: Kostiantyn “Kostya” Kalashnikov and Elena “Lena” Afanasyeva
Charges:
| U.S. CODE | CHARGE | FULL LAW TEXT |
|---|---|---|
| 18 U.S.C.§ 371 | Conspiracy to Violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act | Cornell Law |
| 18 U.S.C.§ 1956(h) | Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering | Cornell Law |
OFFICIAL REPORTS
| PUBLICATION | PUBL. DATE | HEADLINE | ARCHIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNN | Sept. 4, 2024 | DOJ alleges Russia funded US media company linked to right-wing social media stars | Link |
| The Tennessean | Sept. 4, 2024 | Indictment: Russian propagandists used Tennessee content company to push disinformation | Link |
| Fox News | Sept. 4, 2024 | 2 Russia-based RT employees indicted by US, internet domains seized in election influence probe | Link |
| The Washington Post | Sept. 4, 2024 | Justice Dept. charges two Russian media operatives in alleged scheme | Link |
| Associated Press | Sept. 4, 2024 | With charges and sanctions, US takes aim at Russian disinformation ahead of November election | Link |
| The Tennessean | Sept. 4, 2024 | What to know about Tenet Media, Tennessee company linked to Russian propagandists | Link |
INDICTMENT – UNMASKING SPECULATION
These are not yet confirmed by the DOJ or official sources so I’m labeling them as speculation for now. The conclusions are from journalists crossing the indictment info with public information and the process of elimination. That being said, the U.S. Company-1 is 99.99% Tenet Media with the Canadian Company-1 being Roaming USA Corp.
The owners of Tenet Media are Lauren Chen (Lauren Yu Sum Tam) and her husband, Liam Donovan.
| REDACTED | SUSPECTED | EVIDENCE |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Company-1 | Tenet Media | Indictment – Page 7, NYT’s Aric Toler |
| Canadian Company-1 | Roaming USA Corp | NYT’s Aric Toler |
| Founder-1 | Lauren Chen | Indictment – Pages 5 & 6 |
| Founder-2 | Liam Donovan | Co-founder of Tenet Media |
| Producer-1 | N/A | N/A |
| Producer-2 | N/A | N/A |
| Commentator-1 | Dave Rubin or Benny Johnson | NYT’s Aric Toler |
| Commentator-2 | Tim Pool | NYT’s Aric Toler |
| Commentator-3 | N/A | N/A |
| Commentator-4 | Lauren Southern | Indictment – Page 23 |
| Commentator-5 | N/A | N/A |
| Commentator-6 | Matt Christiansen | NYT’s Aric Toler |
| Persona-1 | Eduard Grigoriann | Indictment – Page 4 |
| Persona-2 | N/A | N/A |
| Persona-3 | N/A | N/A |
| Bank-1 | N/A | N/A |
| Czech Shell Entity-1 | N/A | N/A |
| Hungarian Shell Entity-1 | N/A | N/A |
| U.K. Shell Entity-1 | N/A | N/A |
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
- Aric Toler of the New York Times and previously Bellingcat has published an ongoing Twitter thread with breakdowns and unmasking of details from the indictment.
- “A new DoJ indictment alleges that RT employees “covertly fund[ed] and direct[ed]” a US company with $10m in order to push pro-Russia content. The company is based in Tennessee. There is one media company based in Tennessee with the same phrase listed in the indictment…”
That company, Toler speculates, is Tenet Media (this has now been confirmed–see Official Reports above). The key phrase from the indictment and the Tenet Media site: “a network of heterodox commentators that focus on
Western political and cultural issues.”
The Tenet Media website lists their “talent” as the following:
- Tim Pool
- Benny Johnson
- Lauren Southern
- Tayler Hansen
- Matt Christiansen
- Dave Rubin
RESPONSES (from involved parties)
| NAME | DATE | SOURCE / ARCHIVE |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Pool | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Tim Pool #2 | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Benny Johnson | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Dave Rubin | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Matt Christiansen | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Tayler Hansen | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Tayler Hansen #2 | Sept. 4, 2024 | Source | Archive |
| Lauren Southern | Sept. 8, 2024 | Source | Archive |
CONSEQUENCES
| NAME | DATE | PLATFORM | ACTION | SOURCE / ARCHIVE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenet Media | Sept. 5, 2024 | YouTube – Tenet Media | Banned | Source | Archive |
| Lauren Chen | Sept. 5, 2024 | YouTube – Lauren Chen YouTube – Mediaholic | Banned Banned | Source | Archive |
| *Tayler Hansen | Sept. 6, 2024 | YouTube – Tayler’s Tenet Media-affiliated channel YouTube – TaylerUSA | Banned Deleted by Tayler | Source | Archive Source 1, 2 | Archive 1, 2 |