Ex-FBI agent to plead guilty to being AP source

A former FBI explosives expert will plead guilty to revealing secret information for an Associated Press story about a U.S. intelligence operation in Yemen in 2012.
 
Donald Sachtleben  said in court papers Monday that he provided details of the operation to a reporter. Four months ago, Sachtleben also acknowledged he distributed and possessed pornographic images of underage girls.
 
The plea agreement calls for 140 months in prison for both crimes.
 
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said the pornography investigation helped identify Sachtleben as a suspect in the leaks case. The official would not be named because of the Justice Department policy against identifying innocent parties.
     
The department seized AP phone records in its search for the information's source.
 
AP spokesman Paul Colford said, "The AP never comments on its sources."


AP