By
Nia Prater,
Intelligencer staff writer, who covers New York politics
John Bolton, a onetime national security adviser to President Donald Trump, officially pleaded guilty Friday to mishandling classified information following his federal indictment last year.
As part of the plea deal, which was first reported by the New York Times earlier this month, Bolton agreed to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of national defense information and to pay a hefty fine of $2.25 million. He will also be required to forgo any federal retirement pay he would have received for his years of service and will have to perform 100 hours of community service. According to the Associated Press, the agreement recommended a maximum sentence of no more than five years in prison, though the final decision lies with U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, who is presiding over the matter. Bolton is set to be sentenced on October 28.
