An alleged Russian spy is said to have offered sex for a position within a US special interest organisation.

Maria Butina is being held in jail without bail after appearing in a US court accused of acting as an unregistered agent at the direction of a Kremlin official and acting on behalf of the Russian government.

The 29-year-old is alleged to have been in contact with Russian intelligence officials and spoke to wealthy Russian oligarchs to fund her trip to America, according to the FBI.

Appearing at a preliminary hearing, Butina wore a orange prison jumpsuit and showed no emotion while her lawyer entered a not guilty plea.

Image: Maria Butina with envoy Alexander Torshin

In court, prosecutors showed a photo of Butina meeting an alleged Russian intelligence operative at a restaurant in Washington.


Image: Maria Butina allegedly meeting a Russian intelligence operative

She is also said to have offered sex in exchange for a position within a special interest organisation, which has not been named.

One of the organisations she is accused of infiltrating is the National Rifle Association (NRA), a strong ally of the Republican party.

Prosecutors say Butina is a flight risk and the court had to consider whether she would flee if she was granted bail.

Image: Maria Butina allegedly offered sex for a position within a special interest organisation. Pic: Facebook

"The concern that Butina poses a risk of flight is only heightened due to her connection to suspected Russian intelligence operatives," prosecutors said.

After the hearing, Butina's lawyer Robert Driscoll said: "While we respect the court, we strongly disagree that there were no conditions of release short of incarceration to detain an innocent student before trial."

Prosecutors also detailed texts between the Kremlin official and Butina in which the official compares her with Anna Chapman and asks if fans want her autograph yet.

The text included: "You have upstaged Anna Chapman. She poses with toy pistols, while you are being published with real ones."

Ms Chapman was exchanged with Russia as part of a spy swap in 2010.

Image: Butina with a Republican party hopeful, Scott Walker

Russia's foreign affairs spokesman Maria Zakharova touched on Butina's situation in her weekly press briefing, saying US law enforcement was making up sensational stories about Russia meddling in US politics instead of fighting crime.

Ms Zakharova told reporters they were drumming up Russophobic hysteria in America by making far-fetched claims about Butina being a Russian agent.

She said US law enforcement agents were sitting with calculators and watches to time the arrest of the 29-year-old Russian student in Washington in order to best minimise the success of the Trump-Putin summit.

If the US was really worried about what Butina was doing then it could have been passed on to Russia to investigate or been discussed on the sidelines of the summit, Ms Zakharova claimed.

She added that the Russian consulate in the US was attempting to get access to Butina.

If found guilty of conspiracy, Butina could face up to five years in jail.