AP Maria Butina, leader of a pro-gun organization in Russia, speaks to a crowd during a rally in support of legalizing the possession of handguns in Moscow, Russia, April 21, 2013.
The neighbor ABC News spoke to said it was unknown if Butina came out. In court, however, Driscoll confirmed the raid, arguing that because Butina did not flee before being arrested a couple of weeks ago she does not need to be detained pending trial.
The government alleges that Butina had connections outside the United States in Russia and could easily flee the country by using those connections, thus the need to keep her incarcerated.
The U.S. government's case against her alleged that she used her time at American University as a "cover" while she acted as a Kremlin agent, building relationships with those with political influence and in the upper ranks of the National Rifle Association.
She "engaged in a years-long conspiracy to work covertly in the United States as an undeclared agent of the Russian Federation in order to advance the interests of her home country," according to government filings in the case.
(MORE: Maria Butina's attorney warned about attempts to try case in the press)
She "took steps to develop relationships with American politicians in order to establish private, or as she called them, 'back channel' lines of communication," according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington.
"These lines could be used by the Russian Federation to penetrate the U.S. national decision-making apparatus to advance the agenda of the Russian Federation," the affidavit said.
Meanwhile, prosecutors also suggest Butina may not deserve all of the credit for her academic success.
Mark Peterson/Corbis via Getty Images In this undated photo shows the exterior of the Headquarters of the National Rifle Association inFairfax, Va.
"The FBI has discovered text messages and emails between U.S. Person 1 and Butina in which Butina would routinely ask U.S. Person 1 to help complete her academic assignments, by editing papers and answering exam questions," charging documents allege.
Butina has been indicted on two charges: conspiracy against the United States and acting as an agent of Russia government.
Butina’s lawyer has denied the allegations against her.
"Maria Butina is not an agent of the Russian Federation," Driscoll said in a statement. "She is a Russian national in the United States on a student visa."
(MORE: Real-Life 'Red Sparrow'? Court filings allege Russian agent offered sex for access)
Beyond the allegations, university classmates recalled Butina discussing politics and her support for the president, saying she "loved Trump." She openly spoke about her pro-gun views, too, and always made it a "women's rights issue."
At one point, she said that "if all women had guns there wouldn't be rape," a former classmate recalled.
Butina claimed to be the chairman of a pro-gun group she formed in Russia called "Right to Bear Arms."
But as outspoken as she was in class, Butina wasn't very engaging outside of class, according to former classmates.
Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images A student on the American University campus in Washington, Nov. 9, 2016.
Both of her former classmates described Butina as someone who didn't hang out with others in her program or accept the frequent invitations to group events.
"It was very limited contact outside an academic setting," said one former student who asked not to be named.
Hicks told ABC News that -– despite Butina's openness -– she could still sense "something a little bit off" about the Russian national.
"There was something that seemed not genuine about her," Hicks said. "But I couldn't quite place my finger on what it was."
ABC News' Geneva Sands and Mike Levine contributed to this report.
Kaynak:Abcnews
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