Petraeus sentenced to 2 years’ probation for military leak

CHARLOTTE - The Associated Press

AFP Photo

Former CIA Director David Petraeus, whose career was destroyed by an extramarital affair with his biographer, was sentenced on April 23 to two years’ probation and fined $100,000 for giving her classified material while she was working on the book.

The sentencing came two months after he agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.

The plea agreement carried a possible sentence of up to a year in prison. In court papers, prosecutors recommended two years’ probation and a $40,000 fine. But Judge David Kessler increased the fine to “reflect seriousness of the offense.” He said Petraeus committed a “grave and uncharacteristic error in judgment.”

Appearing calm and wearing a business suit, Petraeus made a brief statement before he was sentenced, apologizing “for the pain my actions have caused.”

Petraeus attorney Jake Sussman said this was not a case about the public dissemination of classified information, but the wrongful removal of materials.

But prosecutor James Melindres said, “This is a serious criminal offense. He was entrusted with the nation’s most classified secrets. The defendant betrayed that trust”. Melindres says Petraeus compounded that trust by “lying to the FBI.”

In a brief statement after the hearing, Petraeus said this marks the end of a two-and-a-half year ordeal, and he just wants to move on.

“I now look forward to moving on to the next phase of my life,” he said, before walking to a waiting car and leaving.