Former CIA Director David Petraeus Sentenced to Probation for Classified Leaks
— -- Former CIA Director David Petraeus received a sentence of two years probation and a $100,000 fine today after he admitted he leaked classified information to Paula Broadwell, his mistress.
"Today David Petraeus admitted that he removed and obtained classified and that he lied to the FBI and CIA," according to Jill Westmoreland Rose, the acting United States Attorney for the Western District Of North Carolina. "He was sentenced to a 2-year probation and a $100,000 fine."
"Today marks the end of a two and a half year ordeal that resulted from mistakes that I made," Petraeus told reporters. "As I did in the past I apologize to those closest to me and many others, including those that I was privileged to serve in government and in the military over the years."
The fine was expected to have been $40,000 as recommended by prosecutors. Judge David Keesler said he was increasing the fine to send a clear message discouraging actions like Petraeus’s.
A decorated war veteran and former four-star general, Petraeus entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors in March in which he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge for mishandling classified information.
The charge, unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, stems, in part, from documents the former director allegedly provided to his mistress.
In November 2012, Petraeus resigned as director of the CIA after little more than a year on the job. For 37 years before that, he served in the U.S. Army, including as commander of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That long and successful career in public service came to an end when a long affair with his biographer, Broadwell, became public.
"I want to take this opportunity also to thank those who have expressed and demonstrated support for me as I have sought to move forward since November 2012," Petraeus said today. "I now look forward to moving on with next phase of my life and to continuing to serve our great nation as a private citizen."
ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Mike Levine, Jack Cloherty and Jack Date contributed to this report.
