RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Former CIA Director David Petraeus, whose once-bright political future was all but destroyed over an affair with his biographer, has agreed to plead guilty to sharing classified material with her, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
The plea agreement - which carries a possible sentence of up to a year in prison - represents a stunning fall for the retired four-star Army general who led American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and was perhaps the most admired military leader of his generation.
Petraeus, 62, agreed to plead guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of material. The case was filed in federal court in Charlotte, the hometown of Paula Broadwell, the general's biographer and former mistress.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors recommended two years of probation and no prison time. But the judge who hears the plea is not bound by that recommendation. No immediate date was set for Petraeus to enter the plea.
Prosecutors said while Broadwell was writing her book, Petraeus gave her binders of classified material containing, among other information, his daily schedule and notes about his discussions with President Barack Obama.
Those binders, known was "black books," were seized by the FBI in a search of Petraeus' home. Petraeus lied to FBI agents about providing them to Broadwell and said he never gave her classified material, according to court documents.
Petraeus' lawyers, David Kendall and Robert Barnett in Washington, declined to comment. A telephone message left for Broadwell was not immediately returned. Her lawyer, Robert Muse of Washington, said he had no comment.
Petraeus admitted having an affair with Broadwell when he resigned as CIA director in November 2012. Both have publicly apologized and said their romantic relationship began only after he had retired from the military.
The former general retained the black books in his home even after he left the Defense Department. In 2011, he delivered them to a home in Washington where Broadwell was staying, according to court papers.
Petraeus left the books with her so she could use them as source material for the biography on him that she published in 2012, prosecutors said. Days later, Petraeus brought the books back to his home in Arlington, Virginia.
He held the CIA post less than a year, not long enough to make a significant mark on the spy agency. The core of his identity has been as a military man.