Drake Strikes Plea Bargain
June 10th, 2011Related: The Secret Sharer
Via: AP:
A federal judge in Baltimore dismissed Espionage Act charges against a former official with the National Security Agency accused of leaking classified documents, accepting his guilty plea to a single misdemeanor.
Thomas Drake’s plea deal pleased civil-liberties advocates but is a setback for the Obama administration’s effort to crack down on leakers. The administration is pursuing charges against four other accused government leakers under the Act, regarded by critics as vague and overbroad.
The 54-year-old Drake pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the unauthorized use of a government computer and the government dropped 10 felony counts.
The lesser charge carries a penalty of up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. But the Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower advocacy group, said it expects the prosecution to recommend Drake spend no time in prison nor pay a fine.
