A former FBI agent that plead guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year will also plead guilty to leaking intelligence about an Al Qaeda bomb plot to The Associated Press, Fox News reported.
Donald John Sachtleben, former FBI technician and government contractor, signed plea agreements in both cases according to the U.S. attorney's office.
"I am deeply sorry for my actions," Sachtleben wrote in a statement. "While I never intended harm to the United States or to any individuals, I do not make excuses for myself. I understand and accept that today's filings start the process of paying the full consequences of my misconduct, and I know that the justice system I once served so proudly will have its say."
In May 2012, child pornography charges were filed against Sachtleben after authorities traced child porn to his computer at home. The official complaint states his computer had 30 downloaded images of child porn which he sent to other people using the email address pedodave69@yahoo.com.
According to prosecutors, Sachtleben released national intelligence to a reporter nine days after his child porn charges were filed.
On Monday, the court documents for the leak case were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. They allege Sachtleben knew leaking the information would compromise national security and revealed a plot by Al Qaeda to bomb a U.S.-bound airline from the Arabian Peninsula.
"We were given the task of uncovering who had threatened a sensitive intelligence operation and endangered lives by illegally disclosing classified information relating to a disrupted Al Qaeda suicide bomb plot," said U.S. Attorney Ron Machen. "That plot could not have been more serious. ... This prosecution demonstrates our deep resolve to hold accountable anyone who would violate their solemn duty to protect our nation's secrets and to prevent future, potentially devastating leaks by those who would wantonly ignore their obligations to safeguard classified information."
In defense of the information leaked to the reporter, Associated Press President Gary Pruitt said "there can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters."
