A former Pentagon analyst was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison on Friday for passing U.S. defense information to two pro-Israel lobbyists and for sharing classified information with an Israeli diplomat, according to Reuters. Lawrence Franklin, 59, who had worked as an analyst in the office of the secretary of defense, pleaded guilty in October to sharing the information and also to illegally having classified documents at his home. Franklin had faced up to 25 years in prison. U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis reduced his sentence because of his cooperation and it could be cut further as he helps the government which is still prosecuting the two remaining defendants in the case -- former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. Ellis said Franklin would not have to go to jail to start serving his sentence until he was finished cooperating. Franklin is expected to testify against the two former AIPAC officials, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. They have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to communicate national defense information provided by Franklin. Their trial is scheduled to begin on April 25. --More 00 11 Local Time 21 11 GMT
