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Butina pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with investigation

She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the law governing foreign agents operating in the US

WASHINGTON, December 13. /TASS/. Maria Butina, arrested in the US, has pleaded guilty to one of the charges and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, a TASS correspondent reported from a courtroom.

Butina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the law governing foreign agents operating in the US.

"Yes, Your Honor," she told Judge Tanya Chutkan, pointing out that the fact that she is being housed in a separate cell had no impact on her decision to cooperate.

Butina case

Maria Butina, who studied at American University in Washington, had been arrested on July 15 ahead of the Helsinki summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. The Russian gun rights activist is facing charges of conspiracy for conducting activities in the interests of a foreign state. Investigators claim that she was engaged in these activities without registering as a foreign agent at the US Department of Justice.

During a July 21 phone conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded a speedy release for Butina, having deemed the charges against her as fabricated.

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