Reality Winner | |
|---|---|
 Winner in 2010 | |
| Born | Reality Leigh Winner December 4, 1991 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 |
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]
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]
- ^ Brett, Jennifer; Edwards, Johnny (June 11, 2017). "Family and friends recall a life that somehow unraveled". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Mills, Curt (June 6, 2017). "Who Is Reality Leigh Winner?". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017.
- ^ "Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. United States Department of Justice. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018.
BOP Register Number: 22056-021
- ^ a b c Singman, Brooke (June 6, 2017). "Who is Reality Winner? Accused leaker wanted to 'resist' Trump". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017.
- ^ Calamur, Krishnadev (June 6, 2017). "Who Is Reality Winner?". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "Application for a Search Warrant". United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. June 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017.
- ^ Stuart, Tessa (November 24, 2021). "'Bitter,' 'Angry,' 'Enraged': Reality Winner Blasts the Intercept After 4 Years in Jail". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Gerstein, Josh (September 27, 2017). "Alleged leaker Reality Winner said she stuffed NSA report in her pantyhose". Politico. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT23Aug2018was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Timm, Trevor (June 2, 2018). "Whatever You Think of the Trump-Russia Investigation, Whistleblower Reality Winner Deserves Your Support". The Intercept. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
- ^ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Koblin, John (June 6, 2017). "After Reality Winner's Arrest, Media Asks: Did 'Intercept' Expose a Source?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019.
- ^
- Kennedy, Merrit (June 8, 2017). "Accused NSA Leaker Reality Winner To Remain In Jail Pending Trial". NPR. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018.
- Trubey, Scott (June 12, 2017). "NSA leak case to paint two portraits of Reality Winner". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017.
- ^ Brandom, Russell (June 26, 2018). "Reality Winner accepts guilty plea for 63 months in prison on espionage charge". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018.
- ^ Barnes, Julian E. (June 14, 2021). "Reality Winner, Who Leaked Government Secrets, Is Released From Prison". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Elbagir, Nima; Barnes, Taylor; Platt, Alex (May 29, 2019). "This Russia whistle-blower is serving 5 years in prison for leaking one document. Her mother says she's being silenced". CNN. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021 – via WRAL.
- ^ Smith, Ben (September 13, 2020). "The Intercept Promised to Reveal Everything. Then Its Own Scandal Hit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021.
- ^ Kesslen, Ben (June 14, 2021). "Former NSA contractor Reality Winner, jailed for leaking secrets about Russian hacking, released early from prison". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2021.