New York: All 10 people accused of being undercover Russian agents while living in the United States told a US judge they want to plead guilty on Thursday.
The plea agreement could be part of a swap of imprisoned spies between the US and Russian governments, possibly resolving a scandal after US counter-intelligence authorities arrested 10 people in late June on suspicion of trying to infiltrate US policymaking circles.
Washington might allow the suspected Russian agents to plead guilty and then return to Moscow in exchange for the release of certain Russian prisoners, a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity said on Wednesday.
The suspects were arrested on charges of being unregistered foreign agents and money laundering.
They were expected to plead guilty to lesser charges in Thursday's hearing. Assistant US Attorney Michael Farbiarz confirmed their intent to plead guilty to unspecified charges at the start of the hearing.
Later in the hearing, US District Judge Kimba Wood asked if the suspects intended to plead guilty to the first count of the charges and each said yes.
The judge must still accept the pleas and impose no prison time for the accused to leave the United States.
The Kremlin and the administration of President Barack Obama have sought to prevent the arrests from causing a new chill in ties between the Cold War foes. Relations had been improving after hitting lows with Russia's 2008 war against Georgia.
