Justice Dept. asks judge to send Butina back to Russia after sentencing

The court documents filed Friday afternoon in advance of her sentencing acknowledge that she agrees not to return to the US for 10 years.

Butina, a 30-year-old Russian national, was arrested last July for acting as an illegal agent of the Russian government and trying to infiltrate GOP political groups as well as the National Rifle Association. In December, Butina pleaded guilty to one criminal charge of conspiracy and has been cooperating with investigators. She has been incarcerated for the more than eight months since her arrest.

Maria Butina, in jail for over 8 months, will finally be sentenced in late April

The move to send her back to Russia comes as little surprise. Part of Butina's plea agreement stated that Butina was likely to be deported upon the completion of her sentence.

"Her sentence is up to the judge. But we are trying to make sure that everything is in place so that she can return home quickly when she has completed any sentence," said Robert Driscoll, Butina's attorney.

Driscoll said earlier this week that he will ask the judge to sentence Butina to time already served.

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