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US Leaker of Secret Report on Russian Hacking Faces Sentencing

by Associated Press

   AUGUSTA, GEORGIA --

   A Georgia woman who leaked a secret report on Russian hacking of U.S.
   voting systems could get a tough sentence.
   Reality Winner was preparing to face a judge Thursday in Augusta,
   Georgia. Prosecutors recommended five years and three months, which
   would be the longest sentence ever given for a federal crime involving
   leaks to the news media.
   The 26-year-old former National Security Agency contractor pleaded
   guilty in June to copying a classified U.S. report and mailing it to an
   unidentified news organization.
   Her arrest was announced the same day The Intercept reported on a
   secret NSA document. It detailed Russian government efforts to
   penetrate a Florida-based supplier of voting software and the accounts
   of election officials ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
   U.S. intelligence agencies later confirmed Russian meddling.