Ex-CIA Chief May Avoid Prison for Leaking Military Secrets

Former CIA director David Petraeus appears likely to avoid prison time for providing reams of classified material to his mistress.

Petraeus has agreed to admit guilt on a single misdemeanor count of the unauthorized removal and retention of classified material. The agreement was filed Tuesday in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the general's biographer and former mistress lives.

Prosecutors have recommended two years of probation and a $40,000 fine. By comparison, former CIA officer John Kiriakou pleaded guilty in 2012 to one count of intentionally disclosing the identity of a covert agent to a reporter and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Then the CIA director, Petraeus hailed the conviction as a victory for the agency.