Former CIA Director and retired General David Petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation and a $100,000 fine today for leaking classified government intelligence to his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. The sentence is the end of a drawn out, very public ordeal for Petraeus, whose fall from grace was precipitous.
David Petraeus sentenced to probation for leaking government secrets
The sentencing ends a drawn out, embarrassing ordeal for the former CIA Director
The sentencing ends a drawn out, embarrassing ordeal for the former CIA Director
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
Petraeus will avoid prison
The scandal started in 2012, when the FBI discovered — apparently by accident — that Petraeus, then CIA Director, was disclosing classified information to Broadwell. Petraeus soon resigned from the agency, and charges were filed against him by the Justice Department. Petraeus ultimately took a deal, pleading guilty to one charge of sharing classified information.
Although that charge carries the potential for one year in prison, prosecutors agreed to recommend against prison time for Petraeus — reportedly a controversial decision within the Justice Department — and a judge concurred, although the judge also increased the fine to $60,000 more than what prosecutors asked for. Petraeus avoided additional charges for lying to the FBI during its investigation.
A trial would likely have turned into another protracted spectacle for Petraeus and law enforcement, as more emails from Petraeus’ personal life, as well as government secrets, would be revealed.
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