Russian National Martyshev Expected to Plead Guilty in Cyber Crime Charges

HOUSTON (Sputnik) - Russian citizen Yuriy Martyshev, who is held in the prison in Alexandria, Virginia, is expected to plead guilty in the US federal court on March 12 to some of the counts in the indictment on cyber-related charges, Attorney Alexey Tarasov told Sputnik.

“Eastern District Court of Virginia scheduled a plea agreement hearing for Yuriy Martyshev for March 12 at 9:30 (14:30 GMT),” Tarasov said.

The attorney pointed out that Martyshev is expected to plead guilty to only some of the counts on the indictment, and not all of them.

Tarasov went on to say that the last time when he has met with his client on Friday.

“Last time we met was last Friday. I will be present with him at the Federal Court next Monday,” Tarasov noted.

On July 6, a US federal judge in the state of Virginia charged Martyshev, who was extradited from Latvia, with four counts of cybercrime, including committing wire fraud, accessing computers without an authorization, and aiding cyberattacks.

Russian diplomats then visited Martyshev in jail last week and noted that he was detained in normal conditions. However, the Russian embassy said that the defendant was apprehended in Latvia in violation of the US Treaty with Russia on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters signed in 1999.