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 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. The alleged Russian agent is being held in an Alexandria, Virginia jail following her indictment by a grand jury earlier this year.
