The Justice Department is getting ready to prosecute Julian Assange as the WikiLeaks founder's relationship with Ecuador deteriorates, The Wall Street Journal reported citing people in Washington familiar with the matter.
Ecuador granted Assange political asylum in 2012. He has since been living in the country's embassy in London.
But last month, Ecuador's foreign minister said the country no longer plans to intervene on Assange's behalf in discussions with the British government about his asylum status.
The Journal reported that U.S. prosecutors have weighed charges against Assange as the prospect of getting Ecuadorean officials to turn him over seem more likely.
In October, Assange sued Ecuador for "violating his rights," alleging that authorities have tried to "summarily cut off" his access to the outside world.