Julian Assange reaches plea deal with US that would avoid jail time

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the United States on Monday that would allow him to avoid any time in prison, according to new court documents.

Assange, who was facing up to 175 years in prison if convicted of his crimes, agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge related to his company's mass release of classified documents, according to CNN. 

The plea deal would first see him brought to the Northern Mariana Islands, and then seek a 62-month sentence that would count as time served because he was imprisoned in London while fighting an extradition to the U.S. He would then be allowed to return home to Australia.

The Wikileaks founder was originally indicted on 18 charges in 2019 that centered on his company's decision to release classified U.S. military documents that were provided by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and 2011. The records consisted of thousands of pages of intelligence cables that included information about Guantanamo Bay detainees, the War in Afghanistan, and documents that could have endangered confidential U.S. sources.

U.S. officials claimed that Assange coerced Manning into obtaining and handing over the documents. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her part, but her sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama during his presidency, NBC News reported.

Assange previously fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he remained for seven years until his asylum was revoked. He was then removed and arrested in London, where he has remained for five years while fighting an extradition to the U.S.

The deal comes after a London court ruled last month that Assange could have a full hearing on whether he would be discriminated against in the U.S. as a foreign national. 

President Joe Biden said he was considering the deal in April. But the deal will still need to be approved by a federal judge.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.