Russian woman accused of lying to the FBI sent for psychiatric evaluation

Nomma Zarubina, who was indicted last year for allegedly lying to federal agents about her contact with a Russian FSB officer, must now comply with court-ordered psychological treatment in order to remain out of jail while awaiting trial. 

The ruling, issued July 31 by Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, follows an extraordinary filing from federal prosecutors who detailed what they described as a “pattern of harassment” targeting at least one FBI agent.

Some of Zarubina’s messages were threatening, prosecutors said, while others were emotional or erratic. In one message included in the 10-page filing — parts of which were redacted — she wrote to the FBI agent identified as “Case Agent 1”:

“And I will text you every fucking day because when you need me, I answered you in the same day. Because I loved you and respected you.”

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In another message, sent in apparent violation of the terms of her release, she claimed she was under surveillance by Russian officials.

“I am under surveillance by Russians by consulate. Call me. I can provide the picture. They watch me,” she wrote, later adding, “I need you. They fuck my brain.”

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, in a motion filed July 21, said the conduct posed enough concern to seek pre-trial detention. “Some are outright threatening,” he wrote. “But, even aside from their substance, the sheer number and timing of the messages show that they are clearly meant to harass. This must stop.”

Zarubina, 34, was first arrested in November 2024 and charged with making false statements to the FBI about her relationship with a Russian intelligence officer. Prosecutors said she operated under the code name “Alyssa,” and in April 2025, a grand jury returned additional charges against her, including allegedly transporting women across state lines for prostitution and lying on her U.S. citizenship application.

Prosecutors also referenced texts in which Zarubina appeared to allege high-level coverups related to sex trafficking, urging the FBI to investigate judges and law enforcement for ties to massage parlors and “long term relationships with Slavic females involving money.”

Her arrest drew attention not only for the espionage-related allegations but also because of her reported prior work for Elena Branson, a Russian national indicted in 2022 for acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Branson, who had fled the United States by the time charges were announced, headed the Russian Center New York and oversaw its “I Love Russia” campaign — an effort prosecutors linked to Kremlin-backed propaganda.

According to court records and leaked documents reviewed by OCCRP, Branson maintained regular contact with senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and Igor Panevkin, then-head of Pravfond, a Russian government-linked “compatriots” fund. In 2016, she sought money from Pravfond to boost pro-Russia content online. Zarubina is not named in the leaked Pravfond documents, but prosecutors say she managed the Russian Center’s website during Branson’s tenure.

A pre-trial conference in Zarubina’s case is scheduled for Sept. 19. Judge Swain has denied her request to change her court-appointed counsel.

In a LinkedIn post just days before the July 31 order, Zarubina claimed she had been “unfairly framed” and implied that her arrest was tied to the broader U.S. investigation into Russian interference in Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In one of the more cryptic texts cited by prosecutors, she referenced the controversy surrounding the long-sealed files related to Jeffrey Epstein:

“Epstein Files Don’t Exist. Of course. What about our love?”