NEW YORK (AP) — They have millions of followers online. They have been important players in right-wing political discourse since Donald Trump was president. And they unwittingly worked for a company that a facade for a Russian influence operationsay US prosecutors.

An indictment filed Wednesday alleges that a media company linked to six conservative influencers — including well-known figures such as Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson — was secretly funded by Russian state media employees to produce English-language videos that were “often consistent” with the Kremlin’s “interest in deepening domestic political divisions in the United States in order to weaken U.S. opposition” to Russian interests, such as its War in Ukraine.

It is not only the third presidential election in a row in which the US authorities have revealed politically explosive details about Russia’s attempt to interfere in US politicsOne indictment suggests Moscow may be trying to capitalize on the soaring popularity of right-wing podcasters, livestreamers and other content creators who have made successful careers on social media in the years since Trump took office.

The U.S. Department of Justice does not accuse the influencers of wrongdoing, some of whom were allegedly misinformed about the company’s funding sources. Instead, it accuses two employees of RT, a Russian state-owned media company, of funneling nearly $10 million to a Tennessee-based content creation company for pro-Russia content.

After the charges were announced, both Pool and Johnson issued statements on social media, which Rubin retweeted, saying they were victims of the alleged crimes and had done nothing wrong.

“We still don’t know what is true because these are just allegations,” Pool said. “Putin is a scumbag.”

In his post, Johnson wrote that he was asked a year ago to provide content for a “media startup.” He said his lawyers negotiated a “standard remote contract that was later terminated.”

Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva are accused of conspiracy to launder money and violating the law on registration of foreign agents. They are at large and it was not immediately clear whether they have lawyers.

US authorities have already warned of Russia uses unsuspecting Americans to further influence operations in the 2024 election, but Wednesday’s indictment is the most detailed description yet of those efforts. Intelligence officials have said Moscow has a preference for Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given permission Influence operations to help Trump win the 2020 electionwhile his 2016 election campaign benefited from hacking by Russian intelligence agencies and a covert social media campaign, according to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials.

With the decline of traditional media such as newspapers and the restriction of direct advertising on social media platforms, influencers are playing an increasingly important role in politics and in shaping public opinion. Both the Republican and Democratic parties invited numerous Influencers to their respective national conventions this summer. However, since there are little or no disclosure requirements about who finances the work of influencers, the public is largely in the dark about who motivates the online ambassadors.

Although the indictment does not name the Tennessee-based company, the details line up closely with Tenet Media, an online media company that boasts of hosting “a network of heterodox commentators focused on Western political and cultural issues.” Tenet’s website lists six influencers providing content, including Pool, Johnson, Rubin, Lauren Southern, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.

Tenet Media’s top six influencers have more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 7 million followers on X.

Fueled by public outrage and online followings, the influencers who make up Tenet Media’s talent bench have amassed millions of loyal followers who share their staunch conservatism and unabashed willingness to voice controversial opinions. Their channels have also created communities for conservative Americans who have lost trust in mainstream media due to Trump’s 2020 defeat and the COVID-19 pandemic, some of whom have been criticized for spreading political misinformation.

The indictment says some of the influencers were paid generously for their work. One unidentified influencer’s contract included a monthly fee of $400,000, a signing bonus of $100,000 and an additional performance bonus.

Tenet Media’s shows have featured prominent conservative guests in recent months, including Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake. The nearly 2,000 videos published by the company have been viewed more than 16 million times on YouTube alone, prosecutors said.

Pool, a former journalist and YouTuber who first came to public attention by livestreaming the Occupy Wall Street protests, hosted Trump on his podcast earlier this year.

Johnson is an outspoken Trump supporter and internet personality who was fired from BuzzFeed after the company evidence found he had plagiarized other works.

Rubin was previously part of the liberal news show “The Young Turks,” but now identifies as a libertarian. He has the largest YouTube following of Tenet’s influencer roster and hosts a show called “The Rubin Report.”

Tenet Media president Liam Donovan is the husband of Lauren Chen, a Canadian influencer who has appeared as a guest in several Tenet Media videos. Chen is affiliated with the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and has hosted shows for the right-wing network Blaze Media. RT’s website also lists her as a contributor to several opinion articles from 2021 and 2022.

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Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia. AP reporter Garance Burke contributed from San Francisco and researcher Rhonda Shafner from New York.

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