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Jeffrey Sterling

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11 May, 2015

Sentenced to three and a half years

Sentence0 Comments

Sterling leaves courtSterling is sentenced to three-and-a-half years in federal prison for giving journalist classified information about an operation to retard Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Judge Brinkema says she was swayed  to reduce the sentence — which could have been between 19 years and seven months at the low end and 24 years and five months on the high end — due to Sterling’s accomplishments, but that he had caused particular damage by effectively revealing the identity of a man working with the CIA and that he deserved a harsher penalty than other recently accused leakers because he had not pleaded guilty and admitted wrongdoing.

If you do knowingly reveal these secrets, there’s going to be a price to be paid.

Sterling’s lawyers praise the sentence:

In some cases, the jury gets it wrong. That said, the judge today got it right.

Brinkema allows Sterling to remain out on bond untilprison officials determine when and where he will serve his sentence.