Monday, January 23, 2012
Former CIA officer accused of classified leaks
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An ex-CIA officer charged with leaking classified secrets about fellow officers to the media has been ordered released on a $250,000 unsecured bond.
Forty-seven-year-old John Kiriakou of Arlington is charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act and the Espionage Act. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria on Monday afternoon.
His lawyer, Plato Cacheris, waived Kiriakou’s right to a preliminary hearing. After the hearing, Cacheris told a reporter that a potential defense argument could be that the charges criminalize conduct that has been common between reporters and government sources for decades.
If convicted, he could face decades in prison and a fine up to $1 million.