A state-controlled Russian media organization provided nearly $10 million to “covertly finance and direct” videos produced by a Tennessee-based online content company, the Justice Department alleged, identified by media reports as U.S. right-wing social media network Tenet Media .

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday (available at this link ) charged two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today , of using “fake personas and shell companies” to carry out a “secret influence campaign in the United States.” The duo “operated under covert identities” at an American company identified in court documents as “U.S. Company-1.” CNN and other media outlets said they confirmed that the company in question is Tenet Media, whose affiliated personalities include Benny Johnson and “Culture War Podcast” host Tim Pool, both of whom have millions of followers on YouTube and other platforms.

According to the DOJ, the two RT employees used false identities and “posted and directed the posting by U.S. Company-1 of hundreds of videos” on numerous platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube. “Since publicly launching in or around November 2023, U.S. Company-1 has uploaded nearly 2,000 videos that have garnered over 16 million views on YouTube alone,” according to federal authorities.

“Many of the videos posted by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the United States, such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy,” the DOJ said. “While the perspectives expressed in the videos are not uniform, most are aligned with the publicly stated objectives of the Russian Government and RT — to exacerbate domestic divisions within the United States.”

Tenet Media did not respond to a request for comment sent through their website.

In a post on X Wednesday, Johnson stated, “A year ago, a media startup pitched my company to provide content as an independent contractor. Our lawyers negotiated a standard, independent agreement, which was later terminated. We are troubled by the allegations in today’s indictment, which make clear that I and other influencers were victims of this alleged scheme. My lawyers will handle anyone who claims or suggests otherwise.”

Pool, also writing on X , said in part, “If these allegations turn out to be true, I, along with other personalities and commentators, were misled and are victims. I cannot speak for anyone else at the company regarding their actions or instructions received.” Pool stated, “At no point did anyone other than me have complete editorial control over the show, and the content of the show is frequently non-political. Examples include discussions about spirituality, dating, and video games. The show is entirely produced by our local team without input from anyone outside the company.”

Tenet Media describes itself as “a network of diverse commentators who focus on Western political and cultural issues. Our aim is to support creators who challenge institutions that consider themselves above scrutiny. We believe that all current issues deserve thorough and honest discussion if one seeks to approach the truth. For those interested in authentic coverage of crucial topics, Tenet Media is your destination for content: fearless voices are found here.”

“The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media organization, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute content to U.S. audiences with hidden Russian government messaging,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to exploit our country’s freedom of expression for the purpose of secretly promoting its own propaganda, and our investigation into this matter continues.”

RT allegedly orchestrated a “massive scheme to secretly influence American public opinion by establishing and funding a content creation company on U.S. soil,” according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. Williams stated that the “victims of this scheme were American citizens, who received Russian propaganda without realizing its origins.”

The federal indictment filed in the Southern District of New York accused Russian nationals and RT staff members Kostiantyn Kalashnikov, 31, also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva, 27, also known as Lena, of “conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act” and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Between October 2023 and August 2024, RT sent wire transfers to “U.S. Company-1” totaling about $9.7 million, which constituted almost 90% of the company’s bank deposits from all sources combined, according to the DOJ. These funds were sent from shell companies in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius, and “were often accompanied by wire notes describing the payments as purchases of electronics,” according to the Justice Department.

Tenet Media “never informed its viewers that it was funded and directed by RT,” according to the DOJ, nor did the company or its two founders register with the Attorney General “as an agent of a foreign entity.”

U.S. officials charged Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva with conspiracy to violate FARA, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, which carries a maximum twenty-year prison sentence.

RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan dismissed the charges, writing “great job, team!” on Telegram, according to an article published on Sept. 4 on the outlet’s website. She also “ridiculed U.S. officials for asserting – for the third election in a row – that RT is trying to interfere in American politics,” according to the RT article. “If they remove us entirely, how will they conduct the next elections? They lack any other strategies besides spreading fear about the powerful RT,” Simonyan wrote in a Telegram post, as reported in the article.

Also on Wednesday, the DOJ declared the ongoing seizure of 32 internet domains “used in Russian government-directed foreign influence campaigns,” referred to as “Doppelganger,” which the agency said violated U.S. anti-money laundering and intellectual property laws. Russian entities Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura) and ANO Dialog, operating under the control of the Russian presidential administration, “employed these domains, among others, to covertly distribute Russian government propaganda aimed at reducing international support for Ukraine, promoting pro-Russian policies and interests, and influencing voters in U.S. and foreign elections, including the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election,” the Justice Department alleged.