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US Court Sets Plea Hearing in Butina's Case for December 12

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A US Court has set a plea hearing for Russian national Maria Butina, jailed on criminal charges of acting as a foreign agent for Russia, on December 12, a court document revealed on Monday.
Sputnik

"The Joint Motion to Set Change of Plea Hearing is granted," the document said. "The hearing is scheduled for December 12, 2018 at 3:15 p.m. before Judge Tanya Chutkan."

US Judge Appoints Advisory Counsel to Represent Maria Butina - Court Filing
READ MORE: Russian National Butina Seeks Hearing to Plead Guilty — Court Filing

Earlier, Russian national Maria Butina was seeking a hearing as soon as possible to change her plea on criminal charges of acting as a foreign agent for Russia in the United States.

Later, ABC news claimed it had obtained the document that will allegedly be filed in court, reportedly saying that Butina agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal.

US authorities arrested Butina in mid-July. Russian authorities have criticized the US government for arresting Butina, insisting that the charges against her are groundless. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said the charges against Butina were trumped-up and called her ongoing detention unacceptable.

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