Boston Marathon bomb suspect sister pleads guilty

BOSTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The sister of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was spared jail Tuesday for lying to police investigating counterfeiting.

Ailina Tsarnaeva entered a guilty plea in municipal court in Boston. A judge declined to sentence her to jail or probation if she stays out of trouble for 30 days.

Tsarnaeva was not charged with any direct involvement in counterfeiting. Police said she was with a friend who passed counterfeit money at a Boston restaurant, and that she lied about it during questioning.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is expected to go on trial in January in federal court in Boston. He could receive a death sentence if he is convicted of setting off the bombs that killed three people and injured many more at the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013.

Tsarnaeva also faces criminal charges in state court in New York City. Prosecutors say she threatened an ex-girlfriend of her husband, telling the woman on the phone, "I know people who can put a bomb where you live."