5 ms·

There's not going to be a plea deal. This is a national security issue, he is going to be convicted for the maximum penalty prosecutors can secure, regardless o

There's not going to be a plea deal. This is a national security issue, he is going to be convicted for the maximum penalty prosecutors can secure, regardless of how long it takes.

jonstewart 5y ago
Plea deals for espionage cases are common. Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, Jonathan Pollard, and John Walker took plea deals.
- tonypace 5y ago
  They had information to trade. He has nothing. His only value is as a head on the wall.
yyyk 5y ago
>This is a national security issue True, however, a trial may reveal methods* and create political embarrassment. A severe plea deal is therefore a possibility. * It's quite possible this news story did not contain the entire truth. For example, it's not out of the realm of possibility the FBI knew before COUNTRY1 turned him in.
- arlcode 5y ago
  If the FBIs complaint is accurate this is a pretty simple matter He was an amateur spy who was caught using good old police techniques. Whether they knew before shouldn't matter. COUNTRY1 turned everything over and assisted the FBI in their investigation (signaling the suspect). I'm certain they'll send someone to testify in court if needed.
  - yyyk 5y ago
    >Whether they knew before shouldn't matter. But it does matter. The prosecution isn't just to get a conviction and enforce the law, it's intended to advance national security. If embarrassing details come out and harm it, the prosecutors would rather not have a trial. It's quite possible to imagine various embarrassing details that might come out and are compatible with the story as reported - from possible spying on COUNTRY1's embassy, to how exactly did this engineer smuggle these secret documents to his house.