Ex-analyst gets 2.5 years for leaking info to journalists A former counterterrorism analyst who leaked classified information to two journalists has been sentenced to two and a half years in prisonALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A former counterterrorism analyst who leaked classified information to two journalists, including one he was dating, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement Thursday. He had pleaded guilty in February to violating the Espionage Act and faced up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for a term of nine years, arguing Frese was motivated by “his own selfish interests.”They had said he disclosed information classified as “secret” or “top secret” on 19 occasions. The Justice Department said Frese’s prosecution was one of six that have been filed in the past three years as part of a crackdown on leaks of classified information. But U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia G. Zachary Terwilliger, whose office prosecuted the case, has said his office is focused on leakers, not journalists.

Source: ABC News June 18, 2020 17:50 UTC