CNN
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An American social media influencer said he received $100 from a pro-Kremlin propagandist for posting a fake video of Haitian immigrants claiming to vote in the US presidential election. The payment was one of several the man said he received from the propagandist – a registered Russian agent – to post on social media in the run-up to the election.

The pro-Trump influencer, who uses the handle @AlphaFox78 on X, is an American living in Massachusetts, CNN has learned. He agreed to speak to CNN about the posts on condition of anonymity.

The account, which has a history of posting right-wing memes in support of former President Donald Trump, was the first to post the now-debunked video, which allegedly showed a Haitian immigrant claiming he was in Georgia at least twice for Vice President Kamala votes for Harris.

Georgia's foreign minister said everything in the video was fake, from the actors to the IDs, and was produced and distributed by Russian influencers.

In phone and text interviews with CNN over several days, the person behind the account, which has more than 650,000 followers on X, said he posted the video without fact-checking the claims made in it.

“I have no idea where it came from or anything – I’m just the guy who shared it,” he said.

The man said Simeon Boikov, a Russian propagandist podcaster known online as “AussieCossack,” offered him $100 to publish the video, which he agreed to. A person familiar with the situation confirmed to CNN that several payments were sent from Boikov to the Massachusetts man.

Documents reviewed by CNN show Boikov is a registered foreign agent for Russia in Australia, where he works for Russian state media and writes and posts online in English and Russian.

Boikov, who recently received Russian citizenship and is seeking asylum at the Russian consulate in Sydney, has a history of publishing pro-Kremlin disinformation. A previous CNN investigation found that Boikov played a role in Russia's disinformation campaigns, including those targeting the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

However, its exact role and position within the disinformation network hierarchy remain unclear.

The working relationship between AlphaFox and Boikov, which has not been previously reported, reveals another means by which Russia has attempted to inject disinformation into the 2024 presidential election. U.S. and European intelligence sources previously told CNN that Russia's disinformation network produces staged propaganda videos that are later promoted by American social media influencers.

Just as a reputable company would rely on a popular influencer to boost sales, Russian agents also target online personalities to attract their highly engaged followers, according to Darren Linvill, a disinformation expert and co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at the Clemson University.

“There is a reason why both marketing companies and political campaigns use social media influencers to spread their messages. They do it because it works,” Linvill told CNN. “The digital world has become the real world and people trust social media influencers just as much as they trust their real-life friends.”

Boikov and a Russia-based employee did not respond to CNN requests for comment. AlphaFox said Boikov specifically told him not to talk to CNN and has since blocked him on the Telegram platform.

The FBI did not comment on the payments. The Russian and Australian foreign ministries did not respond to CNN requests for comment.

On their social media accounts, both Boikov and AlphaFox have repeatedly shared narratives that U.S. intelligence agencies have determined come from a Russian disinformation network called “Storm-1516.”

AlphaFox said the staged Georgia video was not the first time he was paid to post content on his X account. On about 10 other occasions, Boikov paid him $100 to post memes and videos on the account, he said.

“It started with memes and it seemed innocent,” he told CNN.

When Boikov's request then shifted to releasing election-related videos, such as the fake footage of voter fraud in Georgia, “I didn't think anything of it,” he said.

He insisted to CNN that he did not know that Boikov worked for Russian state media.

AlphaFox sent CNN clipped screenshots that he said showed him questioning Boikov about the authenticity of the video before releasing it. But Boikov reportedly responded that he had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the video and that “some big accounts posted it.”

“I wasn't on guard because it's all about sharing memes,” AlphaFox said, repeatedly justifying his posts to CNN by saying he didn't know what he was getting into.

After speaking to CNN, AlphaFox deleted the post, which had generated more than 2.6 million views at the time.

He also admitted he was paid to post content that targeted Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, claiming the pair tipped off embattled musician Sean “Diddy” Combs ahead of Homeland Security raids. US intelligence has since determined that the claim was a Russian influence operation.

AlphaFox said he regrets sharing Russian disinformation and insists he was the one who was deceived.

“People need to be more vigilant when sharing things,” he told CNN. “I never wanted to misinform anyone.”

AlphaFox thinks he's just “the guy who shared a disinformation video.” However, according to Linvill, the disinformation expert, this role is key to Russia's plan to disrupt the US elections.

“Real people have become important vehicles for Russian disinformation. It’s not just about fake accounts anymore,” Linvill said. “Storm-1516 has been successful because it leverages users’ trust in influencers they have followed for years.”

While AlphaFox removed the fake Georgia video the following day after it had been viewed more than half a million times on X, various forms of the video continue to be shared on social media platforms.

As Americans cast their votes in the presidential race, election officials like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have been forced to devote resources to combating disinformation like the video posted by AlphaFox.

“As Americans, we cannot allow our enemies to use lies to divide us and undermine our trust in our institutions — or in each other,” Raffensperger said in a statement, describing the video as “likely a production of Russian troll farms.” “ referred to.

Despite the foreign influence efforts, AlphaFox continues to post on X, including about the 2024 election, and the posts continue to receive significant attention, some with millions of views.