Julian Assange Reaches Plea Deal With U.S. DoJ

Wikileaks co-founder pleads guilty to single espionage charge in exchange to a sentence for time served.

Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has been released from the U.K. and is headed to the U.S. after reaching a plea deal with the Department of Justice, WikiLeaks announced on Friday.

Assange, who spent five years in a U.K. jail cell and nearly seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London, boarded a private jet at Stanstead airport and left the country, WikiLeaks said in a statement.

“After spending five years in a U.K. jail cell and nearly seven years holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has finally left the U.K.,” the statement reads.

“Today he is on a private jet heading to the U.S. after reaching a plea deal with the Department of Justice.”

Assange was arrested in the U.K. for breaching his bail conditions after seeking asylum in Ecuador's London Embassy to avoid extradition on various charges, including those related to his role in publishing classified documents provided by Chelsea Manning.

Manning had her own sentence commuted in 2013 by then-President Obama.

Assange's departure from the U.K. follows prolonged negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, culminating in a deal that has not yet been formally finalized, according to the WikiLeaks statement.

Assange's first stop is Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. protectorate, where he is expected to be sentenced to five years while getting credit for the five years of time served in the U.K., the statement adds.

“From there, he will face a sentence of five years in the U.S., with credit for the five years of time served in the U.K.,” WikiLeaks said.

“The sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release.”

CoinDesk has reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice for comment.