Document: W. Samuel Patten Charged With Acting as an Agent of a Foreign Power

Mikhaila Fogel
Friday, August 31, 2018, 10:58 AM

Longtime Washington political operative W. Samuel Patten was charged on Friday for failing to register as an agent of a foreign principal under 22 U.S.C. §§612 and 618(a)(1). The Justice Department alleges that between 2014 and 2018, Patten acted on behalf of the Ukrainian political party, Opposition Bloc, a Russia-allied political group.

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Longtime Washington political operative W. Samuel Patten was charged on Friday for failing to register as an agent of a foreign principal under 22 U.S.C. §§612 and 618(a)(1). The Justice Department alleges that between 2014 and 2018, Patten acted on behalf of the Ukrainian political party, Opposition Bloc, a Russia-allied political group. The case was reportedly referred to the Justice Department National Security Division by the special counsel's office. Later Friday morning, Patten pleaded guilty. The case’s criminal information, statement of offense and plea agreement are available in full below.

Criminal Information

Statement of Offense

Plea Agreement


Mikhaila Fogel was an associate editor at Lawfare and a research analyst at the Brookings Institution. She previously worked as a legislative correspondent for national security and foreign affairs issues in the Office of Sen. Susan Collins. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, where she majored in history and literature and minored in government and Arabic.

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