Maria Butina. Photo: The Associated Press

Marina Butina, the Russian woman accused of cozying up to conservatives in the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. election, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to work as a Russian agent, as details of her cooperation were unveiled in Washington, D.C., federal court.

Butina admitted to conspiring to work in the U.S. on behalf of the Russian government without notifying the Justice Department. She, along with an American citizen, worked at the behest of a Russian official—believed to be Alexander Torshin, the Russian central bank's deputy governor—as she sought to infiltrate and influence conservative political circles.

During that time, she worked alongside and was romantically involved with an American man believed to be Paul Erickson, a Republican operative with ties to the National Rifle Association. Neither Torshin, Erickson nor the NRA have been identified by name in court papers or proceedings.

Butina will cooperate with federal authorities as part of her guilty plea, according to her attorney, Robert Driscoll of McGlinchey Stafford.

The government will drop a second count of acting as a foreign agent. The case was brought by prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., and the Justice Department's National Security Division.

Thursday's plea caps the monthslong legal saga for Butina, who was arrested and charged in July on suspicions that she operated in the U.S. as a Russian spy. Butina, a gun rights activist in Russia, was living in Washington, D.C., while attending graduate school at American University. She pleaded not guilty in July.

Court papers on Thursday detailed Butina's efforts to ingratiate herself with American political conservatives, describing how she sought to build “unofficial lines of communication” with Erickson's help, and under Torshin's direction.

In March 2015, Butina drafted a proposal known as the “Description of the Diplomacy Project,” where she pitched the idea of fashioning unofficial ties with conservatives as part of a broader effort to sway American opinion toward Russian interests. Erickson helped Butina by lending advice on the draft, and giving information about prominent political figures and a “forecast of the upcoming presidential election.”

Butina sent the proposal to Torshin and others, requesting $125,000 from a Russian billionaire to attend conferences outlined in the proposal, and to meet with Russians to determine what Russia's interests were in relation to the U.S. Torshin, according to court papers, told Butina her efforts “would be supported, at least in part.”

As part of those efforts, Butina attended a National Rifle Association convention in April 2015, where she was introduced to influential Republicans. Butina later that year invited powerful NRA members to Moscow, and in December 2015, they met with high-level Russian government officials in a meeting Torshin arranged.

Court papers show that Butina also helped a “wealthy and well-connected U.S. person” set up a series of “friendship dinners.” During those dinners, Butina met with American individuals “with political capital,” taking in their views about U.S.-Russian relations and studying their responses to “adjust her pitch accordingly.”

“Butina used these 'friendship dinners' to cultivate lines of communication with individuals she believed would have the ear of the next U.S. presidential administration,” court documents said.

Butina also helped Torshin organize a Russian delegation that would later attend the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. She emailed the list of invitees to Erickson, touting that the people were “hand-picked” by her and Torshin, and that they were “coming to establish a back channel of communication.”

Prosecutors on Thursday did not resurface some of the more salacious allegations they've made against Butina. Court filings did not include prosecutors' earlier and retracted accusation that Butina sent messages offering sex for a job, an allegation that spilled into the press and drew the admonishment of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia, who said it was “apparent on their face” that Butina's statements were jokes.

Depending on the outcome of Butina's cooperation, she is expected to face up to six months in prison. Butina, who was detained in a Washington, D.C., jail after being described as a flight risk in July, could also face deportation after finishing any possible prison sentence.

Chutkan did not set a sentencing date Thursday. A status hearing was set for Feb. 12.