Wikileaks founder Julian Assange agreed to plead guilty Monday to a felony count of illegally disseminating national security material in a deal with the U.S.
Justice Department, according to court documents. In exchange, Assange will be released from a British prison after five years behind bars.
Assange is scheduled to appear in federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth, at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain and disclose classified national defense information, an Espionage Act charge, according to a letter from Justice Department official Matthew McKenzie to U.S.
District Judge Ramona Manglona. He’s expected to be sentenced to 62 months, with credit for time served in British prison. The Justice Department expects Assange to return to his native Australia following his court appearance.
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