Mariia Butina’s attorneys said that if a resolution is reached, they would withdraw a motion to dismiss the charges. | Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images Legal Accused Russian spy negotiating with prosecutors for 'potential resolution'

Attorneys for alleged Russian spy Mariia Butina are in talks with prosecutors in her case to reach a “potential resolution," they said in a court filing on Friday, indicating a plea deal may be in the works.

Butina was indicted by a federal grand jury in July on charges of conspiracy and failure to register as a foreign agent. Prosecutors allege that Butina has operated as an agent of the Kremlin since at least 2015, working her way into GOP circles via gun rights groups, likely the NRA, in an attempt to influence U.S. policy.


They say the 29-year-old came to the U.S. on a student visa “predicated on deception” and that she had been in contact with intelligence services back in Russia throughout her time in the country, including a former diplomat who was later expelled from the country.

The government also says Butina worked alongside a high-level Russian official who was not named in her indictment but who is presumed to be Alexander Torshin, an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is under U.S. sanctions.

Butina pleaded not guilty in the case and has been held without bail because prosecutors say she poses an “extreme” flight risk.

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Friday’s filing by her team, made jointly with prosecutors, asks for a two-week delay in any hearings and filings in the case because both sides “continue to engage ... in negotiations regarding a potential resolution of this matter and that those negotiations would be potentially hindered by simultaneously engaging in motions practice.”

The judge quickly approved the request.

Butina’s attorneys said that if a resolution is reached, they would withdraw a motion to dismiss the charges.