According to the local press, which seem to have more details on the indictment than the DOJ presser of some months earlier:
Yeshitela, as chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party, is accused of going on paid trips to Russia, where he allegedly entered into “partnership” with Ionov and the AGMR, knowing that they were “agents of the Russian government.” Hess is accused of facilitating communications between Ionov and Yeshitela. Nevel, who ran for local office in St. Petersburg, Florida, was also accused of conspiring with the Russians.
The indictment says Yeshitela went on two paid trips to Russia. The first was in late May 2015. Less than two months later, Ionov allegedly “caused electronic messages to be sent” to Hess, directing her to draft a petition on the “Genocide of African people in the U.S.” so that AGMR could “start pushing it on media everywhere.”
Hess allegedly responded by sending a working draft of the petition back to Ionov, who communicated that she should send it to the United Nations mission in the U.S., “signed by many organizations,” including AGMR. Before she did that, Nevel allegedly responded Aug. 17, 2015, asking when Ionov would “donate another $500” to a component of the African People’s Socialist Party.
On Aug. 26, 2015, apparently after the donation was made, prosecutors say Hess posted the petition “on a petition website” and on the website of the African People’s Socialist Party. Soon, Ionov apparently passed word that the petition was translated into Russian and “would spread over Russian media outlets.” About a week later, Hess allegedly confirmed that the petition had been sent to the United Nations.
By then, the indictment says, Yeshitela was already gearing up to go back to Russia, this time for the “Dialogue of Nations,” a conference hosted by Ionov and funded by the Russian government that was attended by “separatist movements from different parts of the world,” including the Russian-backed breakaway state in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Around that time, Yeshitela allegedly stated that it did not “disturb us” that AGMR was an “instrument of Russian government.”
Moving on to early 2016, Hess allegedly wrote a letter asking Ionov to have the AGMR send $12,000 to support a “four-city tour,” and thanking him at the same time for his “leadership envisioning such actions.” Ionov apparently wanted the tour to support reparations and to get as many people as possible to oppose the “US colonial government.” The indictment mentions two related wire transfers at that time totaling about $7,000.
So at least some of the other persons charged are accused of soliciting money from Russia, allegedly in order to do this or that in the US, or actually at the UN, against the US.
But it's not too clear if Yeshitela himself is accused of more than going on those paid trips... and of doing some favors in return:
Later, requests allegedly came in from Ionov to:
Publicly support Russian competition in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; the African People’s Socialist Party ultimately published an article on its news website titled: “Imperialists ban Russia from 2016 Olympic Games! APSP says ‘let Russia play.’”
Visit with Nevel about reparations and financial support for his plans to run for local office in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Make a video of congratulations for the “6th anniversary of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” an internationally unrecognized republic of Russia in the occupied region of eastern Ukraine. Yeshitela allegedly did so, and his “speech” was broadcast “on outdoor screens in the center” of the region.
Later on, in 2020, Ionov allegedly wrote that he’d contributed $1,200 toward a protest conducted by Yeshitela in Washington, D.C.
It's not spelled out in the piece what "AGMR" means. Presumably this is the NGO that paid their trips, given Yeshitela's interview with Democracy Now, where he mentions some NGO paying for those.
So
Is it true that Yeshitela is facing the jail merely because of his views about Ukraine?
Basically no. He's accused of taking money from Russia, at least as all-expenses-paid trips and of publishing [in return] various pro-Russia pieces, some of which were about Ukraine, but others which were about other topics, e.g. about the Olympic games (where Russian athletes were suspended for doping.)
I also managed to find the full 37-page indictment now which is what the local press was basing those details on, I presume. I didn't have time to read much the indictment itself. The case number is 8:22-cr-00259-WFJ-AEP, in case the link goes dead.
But from the full indictment, the defendants are accused of violating "18 USC 951(a) and 2", which is the FARA(**) registration requirement, as well as 18 USC 371 which is "conspiracy to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States". Some of the press reporting on this (incl. AP and Democracy Now) reported--probably incorrectly--that Yeshitela et al. stand accused of "conspiracy to defraud the United States", but the conspiracy in this case is almost certainly related to them violating FARA as an organized group.
(**) Actually 951 might not be properly called FARA, but IANAL. The DOJ includes 951 under "FARA Related Statutes", with this summary:
18 U.S.C. § 951 requires agents operating under the control of foreign governments or foreign officials, other than diplomats, to notify the Attorney General before acting. There is a limited exception for those engaged in legal commercial transactions. Registration under FARA serves as the requisite notification.
