Trial got underway on Tuesday in Florida for four individuals accused of unlawfully working as Russian agents to assist the Kremlin in sowing political discord and meddling in U.S. elections. The accused individuals are linked to the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement, which have chapters in St. Petersburg, Florida, and St. Louis. Among the charged is Omali Yeshitela, the 82-year-old chairman of the U.S.-based organization dedicated to Black empowerment and reparations for slavery and what it considers past acts of genocide against Africans.
Yeshitela’s attorney, Ade Griffin, argued in an opening statement that the group shared similar goals with a Russian entity named the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia but was not under the control of the Russian government. The defendants are facing charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and failure to register with the Justice Department as foreign government agents. Three Russians, including two allegedly Russian intelligence agents, are also charged but have not been apprehended.
Contrary to claims of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, U.S. District Judge William Jung clarified that the trial will not address those issues. Justice Department prosecutor Menno Goedman alleged that the group members acted on Russian direction to organize protests in 2016 asserting that Black people had been victims of genocide in the U.S. and carried out activities over the next six years to benefit Russia, including opposing U.S. policy in the Ukraine conflict.
Although the defense lawyers acknowledged connections to the Russian organization, they argued that the actions taken by the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement align with their longstanding advocacy for Black empowerment. Yeshitela established the organization in 1972 as a platform against colonial remnants globally.
If convicted of the conspiracy and foreign agent registration charges, Yeshitela, Penny Hess, and Jesse Nevel could face up to 15 years in prison. The fourth defendant, Augustus Romain, could receive a maximum sentence of five years if found guilty of the registration offense. The trial is expected to run for about four weeks.
