A Russian national accused of concealing her connections to Moscow’s security services has pleaded guilty in a federal court in New York, bringing a dramatic and, at times, erratic chapter in a counterintelligence case to a close.

Nomma Zarubina, 35, admitted in court that she lied to the FBI about her contacts with Russia’s Federal Security Service, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and falsified information during her US naturalization process. The plea deal was entered before US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in the Southern District of New York, after months of legal maneuvering and national security-related proceedings.

For observers of US-Russia intelligence tensions, the case illustrates the intersection of immigration fraud, alleged intelligence recruitment, and the increasing scrutiny of foreign influence operations inside the United States.

Zarubina was arrested in November 2024 and initially charged with making false statements to federal investigators. Prosecutors alleged that she had failed to disclose meetings with agents of the FSB, Russia’s principal domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency. According to the indictment, she had been recruited in her native city of Tomsk and tasked with building relationships within American policy circles.

In April 2025, federal prosecutors expanded the case to include allegations of interstate transport of women for prostitution. However, under the plea agreement finalized this week, Zarubina pleaded guilty to two counts: one count of making false statements to the FBI and one count of naturalization fraud. The government, in turn, dropped the prostitution-related charges.

She now faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison on each count. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 11. In a statement, James Barnacle Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said her conduct undermined national security efforts, emphasizing that intentional deception about ties to foreign intelligence services is treated as a serious federal offense.

Earlier in the case, Judge Swain granted the government’s request to........

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