美国国家公共电台 NPR Maria Butina, Accused Of Being Russian Agent, Reaches Plea Deal With Feds（在线收听）

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Maria Butina has reached a plea deal. She's the Russian woman accused of launching a secret political influence campaign in the United States. NPR national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson reports.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Images of the red-haired graduate student posing with weapons attracted international attention. Maria Butina has been in federal custody since July. That's when the FBI arrested her for acting as a Russian agent on U.S. soil. Authorities say she hatched a plan to appeal to Republican political leaders by targeting events at the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfast.

Now, after about six months behind bars, Butina has reached a plea deal with the Justice Department. She's preparing to plead guilty to a single conspiracy charge for failing to register her activities with the attorney general. The deal calls for Butina's cooperation and her testimony before a grand jury. That could be bad news for her American boyfriend. He's Republican operative Paul Erickson. Erickson's been under investigation by authorities in Washington and South Dakota for months, but he has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say Butina's handler was a prominent Russian central banker, Alexander Torshin. Torshin became a life member of the NRA. He briefly met Donald Trump Jr. at an NRA convention in 2016. The U.S. government eventually put Torshin on a sanctions list, and Russian media reported he recently retired from his post.

Butina is due in court Wednesday afternoon. A judge needs to approve the plea agreement and, ultimately, to decide her punishment. Butina faces a maximum of five years in prison. But with no criminal record and cooperation, she could serve far less time. The plea deal indicates she'll be deported back to Russia once she completes her sentence.

Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.