Hey listeners, I want to show you about a new true prime miniseries from Wondery called

Spy Affair. In 2016, news of Russian interference in the American presidential election shook

the nation to its core. Two years later, Maria Bhutina, an alleged Russian operative sent

to America to influence US politics, was a resident in charge of being a foreign agent.

She quickly found herself and the people around her embroiled in a massive FBI investigation.

Maria would be portrayed as a spy and a woman who strung a web of lies,

all focused on completing her primary mission, influenced government officials and positions

of power to benefit her home country, Russia. Wondery's new miniseries, Spy Affaires,

an inside look at the shocking true story of a woman who started her time in America with

a trip to Disneyland and ended it as a convicted criminal. I'm about to play you a brief clip

from the show, but while you're listening, make sure to follow Spy Affair on Apple Podcast,

or you can listen early at free by starting your free try of Wondery Plus in the Wondery app.

Las Vegas, Sin City, the marriage capital of the world,

home to America's most beloved casinos. And in July 2015, the site of what was

billed as the largest libertarian conference in the country, Freedom Fest. Thousands of

business leaders, politicians, journalists, activists, finance bros flocked to Planet Hollywood

Hotel. Among them was Maria Bhutina. Maria was from Russia, and she was there with her American

boyfriend, Paul Erickson. A long time conservative campaigner. There was his idea to go there.

He showed me the American political world. Paul was my guide in this world.

So he brought me to the Freedom Fest. There was one last minute addition to the speaker's list,

who was getting a lot of attention that year. And suddenly I start seeing that people are moving in,

so they're coming in and it's like people like bees, you know, they're like starting buzzing there.

...