Washington (CNN) Paul Erickson, the political operative who was dating alleged Russian spy Maria Butina, has been indicted on wire fraud and money laundering charges, the US attorney in South Dakota announced on Wednesday.

The charges pertain to defrauding investors and are unrelated to the conspiracy that Butina pleaded guilty to in December. Butina pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to infiltrate Republican political circles and influence US relations with Russia before and after the 2016 presidential election.

Paul Erickson

Butina has been cooperating with investigators and offering information on Erickson, who helped her make inroads into the conservative groups she was trying to influence, CNN reported in December.

"The Indictment alleges that on or about 1996, through August of 2018, Erickson knowingly and unlawfully devised a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money from many victims by means of false and fraudulent pretense, representations, and promises," a news release by the office of US Attorney Ron Parsons reads.

"Erickson made various false and fraudulent representations to individuals located in South Dakota and elsewhere, to induce those investors to give him money to invest in his businesses, which were part of a scheme to defraud them and personally enrich Erickson," the press release reads.

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