Leaker of secret report on Russian hacking gets 5 years
By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press
Published: August 23, 2018, 11:40am
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The Lincoln County, Ga., Sheriff’s Office, shows Reality Winner. Winner, of Georgia, who mailed a secret U.S. report to a news organization faces the “longest sentence” ever behind bars for a federal crime involving leaks to the news media, prosecutors said in a court filing. Former National Security Agency contractor Winner, 26, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 23, 2018, by a U.S. District Court judge in Augusta. (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A former government contractor who pleaded guilty to mailing a classified U.S. report to a news organization was sentenced to more than five years in prison Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors, who called it the longest sentence ever imposed for a federal crime involving leaks to the news media.
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