Russian operative Maria Butina pleads guilty to conspiracy

Russian operative Maria Butina, who is accused of infiltrating politically powerful U.S. organizations, including the National Rifle Association, in an effort to push Moscow's agenda, pleaded guilty Thursday to a conspiracy count.

Butina has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and pleaded guilty in a Washington, D.C., courtroom to one count of conspiracy to violate the law governing foreign agents operating in the United States. The felony carries a five-year prison term, but the estimated sentencing guideline range is from zero to six months in prison.

Butina was arrested in July and has been held without bail and could face deportation after serving any prison sentence. She had been in the U.S. on a student visa and Judge Tanya Chutkan on Thursday that Butina could face supervised release if she stays in the country.

Thursday's guilty plea means she is admitting to conspiring with an unnamed American to act at the direction of a Russian official "to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics … for the benefit of the Russian Federation," according to a plea agreement.

The unnamed American has been identified by law enforcement officials as Paul Erickson, a longtime Republican activist who was in a romantic relationship with Butina.

The Russian fits the description of Alexander Torshin, who recently retired as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia. As NBC News has previously reported, Torshin reached out to the Trump campaign seeking a meeting between Putin and Trump. He met Donald Trump Jr. in May 2016 at an NRA dinner.

Butina was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., unconnected to Robert Mueller's investigation.