Jeffrey Alexander Sterling

Early life and education

Sterling was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Sterling earned a political science degree at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, in 1989. In 1992, he graduated from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri as a Juris Doctor.

CIA employment

Sterling joined the CIA on May 14, 1993. In 1995, he was promoted to operations officer in the Iran group of the CIA's Near East and South Asia division. He held a top secret security clearance and had access to sensitive compartmented information, including classified cables, CIA spies, and operations.

After training in Persian in 1997, he was sent first to Bonn, Germany, and two years later to New York City to recruit Iranian nationals as agents for the CIA as part of a secret intelligence operation involving Iran's weapons capabilities. From early 1998 to May 2000, Sterling assumed responsibility as case officer for a Russian emigre with an engineering background in nuclear physics and production, whom the CIA employed as a carrier to pass flawed design plans to the Iranians.

In April 2000, Sterling filed a complaint with the CIA's Equal Employment Office about management's alleged racial discrimination practices. The CIA subsequently revoked Sterling's authorization to receive or possess classified documents concerning the secret operation and placed him on administrative leave in March 2001.

After the failure of two settlement attempts, his contract with the CIA was terminated on January 31, 2002.

Equal Employment lawsuit

Sterling's lawsuit accusing CIA officials of racial discrimination was forced to be dismissed by invoking the state secrets privilege. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal, ruling in 2005 that "there is no way for Sterling to prove employment discrimination without exposing at least some classified details of the covert employment that gives context to his claim."

Conviction under the Espionage Act

Between 2002 and 2004, the U.S. federal government intercepted several interstate emails to and from Sterling, which were "(...) routed through a server located in the Eastern District of Virginia (...)". The authorities also traced telephone calls between Sterling and journalist James Risen. In the intercepted communications, Sterling is alleged to have revealed national defense information to an unauthorized person. In March 2003, Sterling also raised concerns with the Senate Intelligence Committee about a "poorly executed and dangerous Operation Merlin."

On December 22, 2010, U.S. attorney Neil H. MacBride filed an indictment against Sterling on the unlawful retention and unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, mail fraud, unauthorized conveyance of government property, and obstruction of justice. Sterling was arrested on January 6, 2011. Sterling became the fifth individual in the history of the United States who has been charged, under the Espionage Act, with mishandling national defense information.

In a hearing at the U.S. District Court on January 14, 2011, Sterling's defense attorney, Edward MacMahon, entered a not guilty plea. MacMahon reported to the court that he was still waiting for clearance to discuss the case in detail with his client. Rather than relying exclusively on records of electronic communications to legally establish that Sterling exchanged information with Risen, the prosecution has subpoenaed Risen to testify and reveal his journalistic sources, an effort which Risen and his attorneys contested.

Sterling maintained that his communications with Risen did not involve secret information, and the prosecution was designed to punish him for filing a race discrimination suit against the CIA. but after learning of the sentence of no more than two years’ probation plus a fine given one day earlier to David Petraeus for the misdemeanor of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, Sterling's lawyers submitted a plea that Sterling "not receive a different form of justice" than Petraeus, asking for a similarly lenient sentence instead of the 19 to 24 years imprisonment sought by the federal prosecutors. On May 11, 2015, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced Sterling to 3½ years in prison. Judge Brinkema said there was "no more critical secret" than revealing the identity of a man working with the CIA, and that Sterling deserved a harsher penalty than other recent leakers because he had not pleaded guilty or admitted wrongdoing. The judge said she was moved by his accomplishments but needed to send a message to others: "If you do knowingly reveal these secrets, there's going to be a price to be paid."

Sterling was incarcerated at FCI Englewood. In 2016, Sterling's wife said that she was afraid that Sterling could die of health issues behind bars. In September 2016, Sterling detailed the FBI's continued indifference in his seeking treatment for a severe heart condition, in letters which were published by Common Dreams. In April 2017 Sterling was placed into solitary confinement after he allegedly threatened an officer. He was allegedly "denied medication for his heart condition and endured a cardiac-related episode" while in solitary confinement.

Personal life

Sterling is married to Holly Sterling, a social worker. They met via Match.com. On their second date, they agreed to get married barefoot on the beach. They were married in Jamaica.

Awards

Sterling earned a national 2010 Anti-Fraud Award from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for helping break up a Medicare fraud ring, leading to estimated recoveries and savings of US$32 million.

Sterling was awarded the 2019 Sam Adams Award.

References

References

1. (June 7, 2013). "Ex-CIA agent insists on innocence while his national security case is stuck in limbo". [[St. Louis Beacon]].
2. Chad Garrison. (January 7, 2011). "Jeffrey Sterling: Indictment States Ex-Spy in Missouri Had Grudge with CIA, Leaked Secrets". [[The Riverfront Times]] blog.
3. (January 21, 2011). "Defendant's Opposition to Government's Motion for Pretrial Detention". [[Politico]].
4. Isikoff, Michael. (2011-01-06). "Ex-CIA Officer Charged with Leak to Reporter". NBC New York.
5. {{cite Q. Q123090232
6. Maass, Peter. (18 June 2015). "How Jeffrey Sterling Took on the CIA — and Lost Everything".
7. Matt Zapotosky. (May 11, 2015). "Ex-CIA officer convicted in leak case sentenced to 3½ years in prison". [[The Washington Post]].
8. (2017-04-29). "Imprisoned Whistleblower 'Feared For His Life' After Threats From Guard".
9. Maass, Peter. (January 19, 2018). "Jeffrey Sterling, Convicted of Leaking About Botched CIA Program, Has Been Released From Prison".
10. Risen, James. (2002-03-02). "Fired by C.I.A., He Says Agency Practiced Bias". New York Times.
11. (2015-01-14). "USA v. Sterling 10 CIA Exhibits on Merlin Ruse". Central Intelligence Agency.
12. Fields-Meyer, Thomas. (2002-05-20). "Out in the Cold: Agent Jeffrey Sterling Charges the CIA with Racial Discrimination". [[People (magazine).
13. (2011-01-06). "Former CIA Officer Arrested for Alleged Unauthorized Disclosure of National Defense Information and Obstruction of Justice". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
14. MacBride, Neil H.. (2010-12-22). "United States of America v. Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, Defendant". In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division.
15. Northam, Jackie. (2005-09-09). "Administration Employing State Secrets Privilege at Quick Clip". [[NPR]].
16. (2006-01-09). "Supreme Court bars appeal of ex-CIA agent: African American former covert officer charged agency with bias". NBC News.
17. (2006-04-25). "The CIA and control of 'insider tales'". [[ABC Radio National]].
18. Taylor Jr., Stuart. (2008-04-12). "Reforming the State Secrets Privilege". [[National Journal]].
19. Solomon, Norman. (2015-01-27). "The Invisible Man: Jeffrey Sterling, CIA Whistleblower". ExposeFacts.org.
20. Todd C. Frankel. (23 January 2011). "Life away from CIA still tangled, lonely for indicted ex-spy". stltoday.com.
21. Shane, Scott. (2010-04-16). "Former N.S.A. Official Is Charged in Leaks Case". New York Times.
22. Scott Shane. (11 June 2010). "Obama Takes a Hard Line Against Leaks to Press". [[The New York Times]].
23. Cratty, Carol. (2011-01-14). "Ex-CIA officer pleads not guilty in classified info case". [[CNN]].
24. Isikoff, Michael. (2011-02-25). "DOJ gets reporter's phone, credit card records in leak probe". NBC News.
25. (2011-01-14}}{{dead link). "Ex-CIA officer pleads not guilty to leaking info".
26. Liptak, Adam. (February 11, 2012). "A High-Tech War on Leaks". New York Times.
27. Savage, Charlie. (April 28, 2010). "U.S. Subpoenas Times Reporter Over Book on C.I.A.". New York Times.
28. Aftergood, Steven. (February 29, 2012). "There is No Reporter's Privilege, Leak Prosecutors Insist". [[Federation of American Scientists]] Secrecy news.
29. [http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/sterling/062111-risen115.pdf Affidavit of James Risen, June 21, 2011 (with exhibits and attachments)], [http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/sterling/ Federation of American Scientists], Sterling case files
30. Apuzzo, Matt. (January 26, 2015). "C.I.A. Officer in Leak Case, Jeffrey Sterling, Is Convicted of Espionage". [[The New York Times]].
31. Peter Maass. (April 24, 2015). "Petraeus Gets Leniency for Leaking — and Risen's CIA Source should too, his Lawyers say".
32. (2017-06-22). "Imprisoned ex-CIA officer loses appeal of leak conviction".
33. Hutchins, Corey. (2016-08-16). "'My husband may die' in a Colorado prison, says wife of CIA whistleblower". [[Colorado Independent]].
34. "Letter From CIA Whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling Details Federal Prison's Scandalous Treatment". Common Dreams.
35. [http://www.democracynow.org/2014/11/20/the_life_and_mind_of_mark Democracy.now]
36. [https://www.politico.com/pdf/PPM195_sterlingrlsmotn.pdf Politico.com]
37. Byron Hollis, Esq, CFE, AHFI. (2010). "2010 Anti-Fraud Awards - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia - Winning program: Medicare Advantage Private Fee for Service Fraud Scheme". BlueCross BlueShield Association.