Ex-NSA official Drake seeks probation in leak case

WASHINGTON — A former senior official with the National Security Agency who admitted leaking information on a failed billion-dollar NSA computer project is asking the judge to sentence him to a year's probation and community service.

Lawyers for 54-year-old Thomas Drake say in a court filing that prosecutors have agreed not to seek a prison term for Drake, who pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor charge of exceeding his authorized use of a government computer.

Drake said he wanted to blow the whistle on agency waste and abuse when he leaked information to a reporter for The Baltimore Sun.

Drake was originally charged with 10 felony counts under the Espionage Act. The former NSA official, who now works at a Washington-area Apple Store, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.