Uhuru Members Conspired With Russians In St. Pete Elections: U.S. DOJ

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Four people linked to the Uhuru movement were found guilty Thursday of conspiracy charges related to St. Petersburg city elections, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Omali Yeshitela, 82; Penny Hess, 78; and Jesse Nevel, 34, all of St. Louis, Missouri, and Augustus C. Romain, Jr., 38, of Atlanta, Georgia were found guilty of conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government.

They each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date hasn’t been set yet. They were indicted April 13, 2023.

From at least May 2015 until July 2022, Yeshitela, Hess and Nevel, leaders of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), which includes the Uhuru Movement, agreed to act on behalf of the Russian government within the United States, the DOJ said. Romain was also a high-level leader of the APSP who, in November 2018, left and formed a Georgia-based group called the Black Hammer.

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The Uhuru Movement’s St. Petersburg house and its home base in St. Louis were raided in July 2023 as part of an FBI investigation into a Russian national, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, accused of working for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to spread disinformation in the U.S. using social media and meddling in local elections.

Other Russians indicted in the case include defendants Aleksey Borisovich Sukhodolov and Yegor Sergeyevich Popov, also accused of working with the FSB, the DOJ said.

Ionov invited Yeshitela to Russia in May 2015 for an all-expenses paid trip to “communicate on future cooperation,” the department said. Prior to this trip, Hess relayed a request to Ionov to ensure that Yeshitela would be able to meet with an “official representative of the Russian government.”

Follow-up emails, which were shared with Hess, Nevel and Romain, Yeshitela explained that it was “clear” that Ionov was an instrument of the Russian government, the DOJ said. In these same communications, Yeshitela further explained that Ionov represented “a method by which the Russian government is engaging the U.S. and Europe in serious struggle” by utilizing “forces inside of the U.S. to s[o]w division inside the U.S.”

In a subsequent meeting, at which Hess and Nevel were present, Yeshitela explained that Ionov would only provide resources for actions that would support Russia’s efforts to “undermin[e] the U.S.,” according to the DOJ.

Following Ionov’s direction, the defendants took several actions within the United States.
In August 2015, Ionov requested that Yeshitela, Hess and Nevel draft and publish a petition to the United Nations charging the U.S. with actively committing genocide against African people.

When Hess resisted, Ionov insisted that the APSP had to publish the petition because Ionov and his Russian backers were “not exactly Black to demand it for ourselves,” according to the DOJ.

Hess then drafted and published the requested petition, which Ionov promoted in Russian media.
In January 2016, Ionov provided a $12,000 guarantee letter to fund a four-city tour to promote the genocide petition that the APSP had published at his direction. Yeshitela and Hess oversaw the tour and reported information about the tour to Ionov.

After the tour, Yeshitela explained in an APSP meeting that their group had “developed a relationship with forces in Russia who are involved in their own struggle with the U.S.,” the DOJ said.

In 2017, and again in 2019, Ionov attempted to influence local elections in St. Petersburg on behalf of Russia’s Federal Security Service, although there is no evidence that he succeeded in doing so, the department said.

Ionov reached out to Nevel, who was a candidate for mayor in St. Petersburg, in July 2017 to offer support, including campaign finances.

In 2019, Ionov regularly reported to the FSB concerning an election for local office in St. Petersburg, referring to one candidate as the candidate “whom we supervise.” And, in January 2020, Popov directed Ionov that the United States’ 2020 Presidential election was their “main topic of the year,” the DOJ said.

In April 2020, Ionov invited Nevel and Yeshitela to speak at a conference to promote the right of self-determination for Russian-backed secessionist movements in eastern Ukraine. Shortly thereafter, Yeshitela provided a video-recorded statement of support for the movement.

In late February 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ionov complained to Sukhodolov about Russia’s failure in the information war surrounding the invasion. Sukhodolov directed Ionov to “join in” in the information war.

Ionov then directed Yeshitela and Romain to engage in demonstrations at a social media company headquarters in California to demonstrate against suppression of pro-Russian viewpoints. He paid for Romain and three other members of Black Hammer to fly to California to conduct the demonstration, and Yeshitela directed members of the APSP located in California to conduct a similar protest a few days later.

After the Black Hammer demonstration, Romain messaged Ionov, “This is great! That was fun! Who we attacking next? With more time I can get a bigger crowd,” the DOJ said.

In May 2022, at Ionov’s direction, Romain demonstrated at a media company in Atlanta to celebrate Russia’s “Victory Day.” In June 2022, he demonstrated at the Georgia state capitol in support of Russia. During the demonstration, Romain stated that he was “not ashamed to say that the Black Hammer Party has relationships with the Kremlin,” in reference to Ionov, the DOJ said.