The Biden administration has responded after Yevgeny Prigozhin, an entrepreneur connected to the Kremlin, admitted that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.
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The statement, from the press service of his catering company that earned him the nickname "Putin's chef," came on the eve of U.S. midterm elections in response to a request for comment.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the Biden administration was not surprised by Prigozhin's admission.
"His bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin," Price said. "As you know, we have sanctioned this individual, Yevgeny Prigozhin, since 2018 for his interference with our election processes and institutions."
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
READ MORE: Putin-connected businessman admits interference in U.S. elections
It was the second major admission in recent months by the 61-year-old businessman, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin has previously sought to keep his activities under the radar and now appears increasingly interested in gaining political clout — although his goal in doing so was not immediately clear.
In September, Prigozhin also publicly stated that he was behind the Wagner Group mercenary force — something he also had previously denied — and talked openly about its involvement in Russia's 8-month-old war in Ukraine. The military contractor also has sent its forces to places like Syria and sub-Saharan Africa.
Video also has emerged recently of a man resembling Prigozhin visiting Russian penal colonies to recruit prisoners to fight in Ukraine.
In 2018, Prigozhin and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord and dividing American public opinion ahead of the 2016 presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference.
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The Justice Department in 2020 moved to dismiss charges against two of the indicted firms, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering, saying they had concluded that a trial against a corporate defendant with no presence in the U.S. and no prospect of meaningful punishment even if convicted would likely expose sensitive law enforcement tools and techniques.
In July, the State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about Russian interference in U.S. elections, including on Prigozhin and the Internet Research Agency, the troll farm in St. Petersburg that his companies were accused of funding. Prigozhin also has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for election interference.
Until now, Prigozhin had denied Russian involvement in election interference.