Lawyer Amedeo DiCarlo says his client Karim Baratov pleaded guilty to a massive Yahoo hack for closure.
DiCarlo tells CTV News Baratov made the decision himself. "He was the one that said himself, ‘I'm ready to plead guilty.'"
Baratov pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and eight counts of aggravated identity theft in connection with the hacking of 500 million Yahoo accounts.
U.S. authorities say he was acting under the direction of Russian intelligence agents. The hacks had targeted Russian journalists and government officials and the information gathered by Baratov was used to spy on those individuals.
Baratov was arrested in Ancaster by the RCMP on behalf of the U.S. government in March.
Baratov faces a maximum 26 years in prison, but DiCarlo says his guilty plea will help ensure him a lighter sentence. He will be sentenced on Feb. 20.
With files from CTV News