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Former CIA Agent Sterling Convicted Of Espionage; In Earlier Interview, He Discussed Missouri Roots

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Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA agent with Missouri ties, was convicted of espionage Monday. He was accused of leaking information to New York Times reporter James Risen about a secret plan to disrupt Iran's nuclear program. The case prompted years of debate about journalists' ability to protect their confidential sources.

Risen refused to identify his sources, and prosecutors did not call him to testify at the trial in Alexandria, Va. But a jury convicted Sterling anyway, as the New York Times reported.

Sterling, now of O'Fallon, Mo., faces a maximum penalty of decades in prison. He will be sentenced in April, according toan NPR report that summarizes the fight between the Obama administration and those who want to protect confidential sources.

In this interview, published by the St. Louis Beacon in June 2013, Sterling talks about growing up in Cape Girardeau, his experiences at Millikin University in Illinois and at Washington University law school and the challenges of being one of the few African-American CIA agents. The story was written by a Millikin journalism class under the direction of professor Scott Lambert.