Maria Butina: Alleged Russian spy files to change plea in US federal court

Maria Butina’s lawyers and federal prosecutors have filed a request for a court hearing so that the accused Russian agent can change her plea from not-guilty, a joint filing shows.

The court filings follow after it was revealed that Ms Butina and her attorneys had been actively negotiating a settlement for her case. She had previously pleaded not guilty on charges of conspiring to take actions on Russia’s behalf and acting as an agent of Russia.

The request shows that Ms Butina and her lawyers may have managed to negotiate such a plea deal with federal prosecutors, who have accused the former American University student of attempting to infiltrate Republican political circles during the 2016 election in order to advance Russian interests.

During her attempts to infiltrate Republican political circles, prosecutors say Ms Butina was in regular contact with politically powerful Russians about her activities.

Ms Butina has maintained that she is innocent since she was arrested earlier this year in August. She has remained in US custody since her arrest for illegally acting as a foreign agent.

The alleged Russian agent is being held in an Alexandria, Virginia jail following her indictment by a grand jury earlier this year. She has been accused of working to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and other US political groups. Her lawyers, so far, have argued that she was simply attempting to develop relationships with Americans.

The Russian embassy in Washington has called Ms Butina's charges politically motivated, and have complained about poor jail conditions. They have indicated previously through a post on their website that they would fight for Ms Butina by writing a letter to the US State department "demanding to stop psychologically pressuring and humiliating our fellow citizen".

“It seems as if Washington is trying to force her to cooperate with the investigation by making her living conditions as difficult as possible," the embassy wrote in a Twitter post earlier this year.

Ms Butina has been denied bail, with the courts citing a significant chance that she may flee the country should she be let out of US jails before her court date.