The accusation of Russian espionage Maria Butina pleads guilty to conspiracy

with a report by Paula Reid

WASHINGTON – Maria Butina, accused of espionage for Russia, will plead guilty under a single head of conspiracy , according to a source familiar with his case. As part of the plea agreement, she will also collaborate with the investigation of the Department of Justice, which is not related to the investigation conducted by Robert Special Advocate Mueller in Russia. His lawyers are asking for a sentence of 0 to 6 months. It is a conviction for crime, so it risks deportation.

Butina is in solitary confinement in a Virginia prison. On Monday morning, Butina's lawyers and federal prosecutors filed a joint motion for a "plea bargain" hearing in the BC District Court. "The parties have resolved this case," reads the court document.

Butina, a 30-year-old Russian national, was charged and arrested in July for conspiring and acting as a foreign agent. The FBI office in Washington, DC, investigated the case, with the US District Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice's National Security Division laying charges.

Prosecutors alleged that Butina had violated US spy laws by infiltrating US political groups on behalf of a senior official of President Vladimir Putin's restricted circle, Alexander Torshin Deputy Governor of the Russian Central Bank. Butina pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last month, a federal court dismissed Butina's lawyers' request to remove her from solitary confinement. His lawyers spoke of the absence of "significant human contact" and "sensory stimulation" in prison.

Clare Hymes and Rob Legare contributed to this report.