David Petraeus Gets Probation, Fine For Leaking Secrets

by Suzanne Gould and Biodun Iginla, Reuters and BBC News, Washington DC

4 hours ago

David Petraeus, the former CIA director whose shining career in public service came crashing down after an affair with his biographer, received two years probation and a $100,000 fine Thursday for leaking military secrets.

"I now look forward to moving on with the next phase of my life and to continuing to serve our great nation as a private citizen," Petraeus said outside the courthouse after his sentencing.

Petraeus pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, acknowledging that he shared classified information with his biographer Paula Broadwell.

Petraeus "admitted to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified information and lying to the FBI and CIA about his possession and handling of classified information," Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina said in a statement Thursday.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors had recommended a $40,000 fine and two years' probation for him, but no jail time; U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler fined him $60,000 more than the recommendation, and said he will be allowed to travel domestically and internationally while on probation.

Petraeus, 62, faced up to a year in prison. The defense submitted 34 letters from high-level political leaders, heads of state, and military personnel in support of Petraeus.

The sentencing, which took place in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Broadwell lives with her husband and children, lasted a little over an hour. Petraeus addressed the court during it, apologizing to those closest to him and to other he caused pain to.

"I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the pain that my actions caused," he said when asked if he wanted to say anything.

After the hearing, Petraeus briefly addressed the media, thanking those who had supported him.

"I thank in particular my family, former military colleagues, fellow veterans, others with who I served in government, and those with whom I have worked within the private sector and academia. I thank as well individuals I did not know in the past, but who have nonetheless made their support known to me in recent months," he said.

Petraeus, a retired four-star general who led U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, gave Broadwell eight binders of classified material when she was writing his biography in 2011, according to prosecutors. When he resigned as CIA director, Petraeus admitted to having an affair with Broadwell.

The military secrets were used as background for "All In: The Education of David Petraeus," Broadwell's glowing biography, which came out in 2012, before the affair was made public. Prosecutors say no classified material was published in the book.

Petraeus resigned from the CIA in November 2012. He and Broadwell have publicly apologized for the affair.