_________is a criminal defendant's plea in which the defendant chooses not to challenge, or contest, the charges brought by the government. This plea allows the defendant to be sentenced or fined, without admitting or denying guilt.

A) Guilty
B) Not guilty
C) Nolo contendere
D) None of these choices is correct.

Nolo contendere, also known as a no contest plea, allows a defendant to accept conviction as though a guilty plea had been entered but without admitting guilt. This plea is used in criminal proceedings where the defendant does not formally admit guilt but agrees to be punished as if they were guilty, often used to avoid the implications of an actual guilty plea in civil litigation that might follow a criminal trial.