CIA Leaker Seeks Lighter Sentence Just Like Petraeus - Reports

Lawyers for a former CIA officer found guilty of giving away information of a secret mission to thwart Iran’s nuclear program reportedly said he is entitled to a lighter sentence.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Lawyers for a former CIA officer found guilty of giving away information of a secret mission to thwart Iran’s nuclear program said he is entitled to a lighter sentence just like that recently given to former CIA Director David Petraeus, according to media reports.

“Lawyers for a former CIA officer convicted of leaking details of a secret mission to derail Iran’s nuclear ambitions says he deserves a light sentence similar to that just handed down to ex-CIA director David Petraeus,” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Friday.

Jeffrey Sterling of the St. Louis suburb O’Fallon, Missouri is set to be sentenced in the US federal court in Alexandria, Virginia in May 2015.

Sterling’s lawyers said they believe a recommendation under US federal sentencing guidelines for a term of 20 years or more is excessive. They argue that other leakers have ended up with lighter sentences, while prosecutors hope for a more severe sentence for Sterling.

On Thursday, Petraeus received two years’ probation and a $100,000 fine for giving classified information to his biographer and former mistress Paula Broadwell.

Petraeus was sentenced in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Broadwell lives and the security leak of classified documents began.

Petraeus served as CIA director from September 2011 to November 2012. Prior to that assignment, Petraeus served as the Commander in Afghanistan from June 2010 until July 2011.