Jeffrey Alexander Sterling
Jeffrey Alexander Sterling is an American lawyer and former CIA employee who was arrested, charged, and convicted of violating the Espionage Act for revealing details about Operation Merlin (covert operation to supply Iran with flawed nuclear warhead blueprints) to journalist James Risen. Sterling claimed he was prosecuted as punishment for filing a race discrimination lawsuit against the CIA. The case was based on what the judge called "very powerful circumstantial evidence." In May 2015, Sterling was sentenced to 3½ years in prison. In 2016 and 2017, he filed complaints and wrote letters regarding mistreatment, lack of medical treatment for life-threatening conditions, and false allegations against him by corrections officers leading to further punitive measures. He was released from prison in January 2018.
Jeffrey A. Sterling | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Washington University School of Law, 1992 Millikin University, 1989 |
| Occupation(s) | Fraud investigator (2004--his arrest in 2011) Lawyer (?--present) Former undercover CIA officer (May 14, 1993--January 31, 2002) |
| Known for | Whistleblower |
| Spouse | Holly Sterling |