FOMER CIA OFFICER SENT TO PRISON FOR LEAKING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, May 11, 2015
Former CIA Officer Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Leaking Classified Information and Obstruction of Justice

Jeffrey A. Sterling, 47, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for disclosing national defense information and obstructing justice.  Sterling disclosed classified information about a clandestine operational program concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons program to a New York Times reporter in 2003.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew McCabe of the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.

“For his own vindictive purposes, Jeffrey Sterling carelessly disclosed extremely valuable, highly classified information that he had taken an oath to keep secret,” said U.S. Attorney Boente.  “His attempt to leverage national security information for his own malicious reasons brought him to this sentence today.  I would like to thank the trial team and our partners at the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Central Intelligence Agency for their hard work and commitment to this case.”

“The sentence handed down by a federal judge is the culmination of a lengthy investigation, a protracted prosecution and a unanimous decision by a federal jury to convict Mr. Sterling for the unauthorized disclosure of national security information,” said Assistant Director in Charge McCabe.  “The time and effort dedicated to this case by FBI special agents, intelligence analysts and prosecutors working on this matter exemplify the extent the FBI will undertake in pursuit of justice.”

Sterling was found guilty by a federal jury on Jan. 26, 2015.  According to court records and evidence at trial, Sterling was employed by the CIA from May 1993 to January 2002.  From November 1998 through May 2000, he was assigned to a classified clandestine operational program designed to undermine the Iranian nuclear weapons program.  He was also the operations officer assigned to handle a human asset associated with that program, a person identified at trial as Merlin.  Sterling was reassigned in May 2000, at which time he was no longer authorized to receive or possess classified documents concerning the program or the individual.

In connection with his employment, Sterling, who is a lawyer, signed various security, secrecy and non-disclosure agreements in which he agreed never to disclose classified information to unauthorized persons, acknowledged that classified information was the property of the CIA, and also acknowledged that the unauthorized disclosure of classified information could constitute a criminal offense.  These agreements also set forth the proper procedures to follow if Sterling had concerns that the CIA had engaged in any “unlawful or improper” conduct that implicated classified information.  These procedures permit such concerns to be addressed while still protecting the classified nature of the information.  The media was not an authorized party to receive such classified information.

In August 2000, Sterling pursued administrative and civil actions against the CIA.  Evidence at trial showed that Sterling, in retaliation for the CIA’s refusal to settle those actions on terms favorable to him, disclosed information concerning the classified operational program and the human asset to a New York Times reporter working on an unpublished article in early 2003 and a book the reporter published in January 2006.  Sterling’s civil and administrative claims were ultimately dismissed by the court.

Evidence demonstrated that in February and March 2003, Sterling made various telephone calls to the reporter’s residence and e-mailed a newspaper article about the weapons capabilities of a certain country that was within Sterling’s previous clandestine operational assignment.  While the possible newspaper article containing the classified information Sterling provided was ultimately not published in 2003, evidence showed that Sterling and the reporter remained in touch from December 2003 through November 2005 via telephone and e-mail.  In January 2006, the reporter published a book that contained classified information about the program and the human asset.

Evidence at trial showed that Sterling was aware of a grand jury investigation into the matter by June 2006 when he was served a grand jury subpoena for documents relating to the reporter’s book.  Nevertheless, between April and July 2006, Sterling deleted the e-mail containing the classified information he had sent from his account in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance in the arrest from the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office.  This case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Eric G. Olshan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Senior Litigation Counsel James L. Trump and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia.

PENTAGON FORCE PROTECTION AGENCY TURNS TEN YEARS OLD

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Photo:  U.S. Navy
Agency Marks Decade of Protecting Pentagon
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2012 - The Pentagon is a symbol of American military might, and that makes it a target that must be protected, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today during a 10th anniversary celebration of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.

The organization grew from the ashes of Sept. 11, 2001, when 184 people died in the terror attack on the building.

The agency secures the Pentagon and 116 other properties that make up the Pentagon reservation. "We cannot do what we do without you," Panetta told the organization's men and women at today's observance.

"I see a lot of you every day, and I know that wherever you're stationed, I always feel a lot better knowing that you are there protecting this building," he said.

Panetta noted that the observance was taking place a year and a day after 9/11's architect was killed. "Just yesterday, the nation marked one year since the operation that successfully took down Osama bin Laden," he said. "It was a day that I hope Americans take the time to thank the very dedicated intelligence and military professionals who planned and executed that raid that delivered justice to al-Qaida's leader."

Panetta was CIA director during the operation. "I have to tell you, to this day that it was a remarkable experience and one of the greatest memories in 40 years that I've been in Washington," he said. "Having the opportunity to work with the intelligence professionals, to work with Adm. Bill McRaven (then chief of the Joint Special Operations Command), to work with the SEALs in that operation was incredible. This was because of the professionalism and great dedication involved with that mission. It was the kind of stuff that makes you proud to be an American."

The men and women of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency play a vital role in ensuring the people who work at the Pentagon can accomplish their mission, Panetta said. "Your mission of protecting those that protect America is critical," he said. "Frankly, we could not do our jobs without you. It allows the roughly 23,000 employees here at the Pentagon to focus on their jobs, because they all know that there are dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect us."

The agency grew from the Federal Protective Service and the Defense Protective Service, said Agency Director Steven Calvery. Following 9/11, the agency took a different turn, and its ranks now include law enforcement officers, physical security personnel, investigators and technicians trained to handle terrorist attacks, explosives or weapons of mass destruction. The agency provides vital protection across the board for the Pentagon.

And the building needs that protection, "because the Pentagon is much more than just an extremely large, odd-shaped building," Panetta said. "The Pentagon is a symbol. It is an unmistakable symbol of United States military power."

In the 10 years since its founding, the agency has faced down many challenges. In 2010, two officers, Jeffrey Amos and Marvin Carraway, were wounded as they shot a lone gunman who tried to break into the building. "Who knows how many casualties would have resulted if he had gained entry?" Panetta said. "Thankfully, he was stopped by the swift reaction of our brave police officers."

Officer James Feltis was another agency officer who displayed selfless service. In January 2005, he spotted a car coming the wrong way up an exit ramp, and without considering the risks, stepped out of his booth to try to stop the car. The vehicle, which had been carjacked by an armed robber, gained speed and struck Feltis, who died a month later of his injuries. He is the lone agency officer to die in the line of duty. His widow, Mary, attended the 10th anniversary celebration.

"You and your family will always be part of our defense family," Panetta told her.
Panetta thanked all members of the agency for their support and professionalism. Jonathan H. Cofer, the agency's deputy director, joined Officer Michael Marker and K-9 Officer Duke in surprising Panetta by making the secretary's dog Bravo an honorary member of the Pentagon's K-9 corps.