Washington (CNN) Special counsel Robert Mueller's office appears ready to send George Papadopoulos to his sentencing and may be done using his help in the Russia probe, according to a court filing Wednesday.

A filing by prosecutors from the special counsel's office in DC District Court asks the judge overseeing Papadopoulos' guilty plea to begin preparing for his sentencing.

Prosecutors had delayed pushing Papadopoulos' court proceeding toward its conclusion twice since he pleaded guilty last October to lying to investigators. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Previous delays from prosecutors related to Papadopoulos' sentencing and in Michael Flynn's and Rick Gates's cases largely have been read as signals that Mueller's probe into possible Russian coordination with the Trump campaign continued.

Once Papadopoulos is sentenced, he could no longer be forced to help the Special Counsel's Office in its ongoing investigations -- or at trials.

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