Barr says "no evidence that any Americans" helped Russian government — but one has been charged

Attorney General William Barr asserted in his statement that Robert Mueller found "no evidence that any Americans" helped the Russian government or the Internet Research Agency in their schemes to influence the 2016 election.

But one American was charged with aiding the Internet Research Agency— though he did so without knowing the full extent of the alleged conspiracy — and is serving six months in prison for the crime of identity fraud.

That American, a Californian named Richard Pinedo, admitted to selling to Russians involved in the Internet Research Agency effort to disrupt the election online accounts that allowed them to post propaganda on social media that could affect American voters.

Pinedo, 29, is in federal prison in California for another month.

Barr in his statement quoted directly from Mueller’s report that the special counsel had not identified evidence that US persons “knowingly or intentionally coordinated” with the Internet Research Agency.

Pinedo ran a website that sold dummy bank accounts to eBay, Facebook and other online service users having trouble with the transaction service PayPal. His service allowed people online to breeze through PayPal's financial verification steps and, in the case of the Russians, buy ads on Facebook.

Prosecutors told a judge last year that Pinedo gave them "significant assistance" as part of his guilty plea, and that his admissions and testimony "saved the government significant time and resources in the investigation." He helped them identify previously anonymous Russians and the details of their alleged scheme.

The criminal case against the Internet Research Agency is continuing, with a Russian company charged in the case pleading not guilty.