Reality Winner
American intelligence translator (born 1991) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Reality Leigh Winner (born December 4, 1991)[5][6] is an American U.S. Air Force veteran and former NSA translator. In 2018, she was given the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government information to the media[7] after she leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[8] She was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison.[9]
Reality Winner | |
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Born | Reality Leigh Winner (1991-12-04) December 4, 1991 (age 32) Alice, Texas, U.S.[1] |
Occupation | NSA translator |
Employer | Pluribus International Corporation |
Known for | Revealed classified NSA document about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections |
Criminal status | Released |
Conviction(s) | Pleaded guilty to felony transmission of national defense information |
Criminal charge | 18 U.S. Code § 793(e) – Gathering, transmitting or losing national defense information[2] |
Penalty | Five years and three months in prison |
Imprisoned at | Federal Medical Center, Carswell[3] |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 2010–2016[4] |
Rank | Senior airman (E-4)[4] |
Unit | 94th Intelligence Squadron[4] |
Awards | Air Force Commendation Medal |
On June 3, 2017, while employed by the military contractor Pluribus International Corporation, Winner was arrested on suspicion of leaking an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the news website The Intercept. The report indicated that Russian hackers accessed voter registration polls in the United States with an email phishing operation,[10] though it was unclear whether any changes had been made.
Concerns were raised that The Intercept's handling of the material exposed her as the source and contributed to her arrest.[11] Twice denied bail, Winner was held at the Lincoln County Jail in Lincolnton, Georgia.[12] On August 23, 2018, Winner was convicted of "removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet" and sentenced to five years and three months in prison as part of a plea deal.[13] She was incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, and released to a transitional facility on June 2, 2021.[14][15][16][17]