Michael Flynn's plea deal could be proof he has something 'very valuable' to offer on someone at 'the center' of the Russia investigation

• Legal experts say former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn's guilty plea is likely evidence that he's cooperating with investigators with information concerning much larger targets.
• Targets would likely be "someone at the center - or close to the center - of this criminal enterprise."

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Legal experts told Business Insider that the plea deal struck by former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn with special counsel Robert Mueller is likely proof that Flynn has damaging information to offer prosecutors on other persons of interest in the Russia investigation.

It's unclear who that would be, but it would likely be "someone at the center - or close to the center - of this criminal enterprise," Jens David Ohlin, a professor at Cornell Law School, told Business Insider, adding that the fact Flynn was "charged with, and is pleading guilty to, such a minor crime, suggests a bombshell of a deal with prosecutors."

On Friday, Flynn pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements to federal investigators about his discussions with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak last December.

Per an indictment filed by Mueller's office, Flynn "falsely stated" in late December 2016 during the presidential transition that he did not ask Kislyak "to refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia that same day," and that he did not recall Kislyak later telling him Russia "had chosen to moderate its response to those sanctions as a result of his request."

Flynn additionally told Mueller's team he did not ask Kislyak to "delay the vote on or defeat a pending UN Security Council resolution; and that the Russian ambassador subsequently never described to Flynn Russia's response to his request."

But Flynn was also heavily scrutinized over his work at his outside intelligence firm and for dealings involving the Turkish government that included him failing to register properly as a foreign agent.

The plea indicates that Flynn is cooperating with Mueller's Russia investigation

The plea means Flynn is cooperating with Mueller's team, experts said, adding that a number of other targets, including President Donald Trump, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., and his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner could all potentially be in Mueller's crosshairs.

Soon after Flynn entered his guilty plea in federal court, ABC News reported that the former national security adviser is prepared to testify against Trump, citing a source close to Flynn.

"This indicates that there is significant cooperation against much bigger targets," Jed Shugerman, a Fordham University law professor, told Business Insider. "And you can speculate over who those targets are, but someone like Mueller is not just going to take a Flynn plea deal to cooperate laterally. This deal is narrowed to such a minor charge that it is clear it is in return for very significant cooperation against a much larger figure."

He added that the plea deal is proof that Flynn's cooperation has already been secured. Though he said more information related to Flynn could be forthcoming in future documents, Mueller may also decide to "keep his cards close to his chest" while he is still interviewing people such as Kushner or Trump Jr.

"Mueller does better by not releasing too much information now that Flynn has given him because it allows him to use that information strategically as he's interviewing other witnesses," he said.

Robert Chesney, a University of Texas law professor, told Business Insider in an email that the "critical question" moving forward is "whether and to what extent he has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigations of others, in exchange for this deal."

"So far we do not know, though of course we can speculate that he is in fact doing so to some extent," he said. "One thing it almost certainly does not mean, though, is that the investigation is winding down."