JUST IN: Former NSA Translator Reality Winner Released from Prison for Good Behavior

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Reality Winner has been released from prison for good behavior, according to a statement released by her attorney Alison Grinter.

The former American intelligence specialist pled guilty in 2018 as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors after the National Security Agency contractor became a major political flashpoint last year. She was arrested and accused of leaking classified information to journalists. She was charged with violating the Espionage Act by sharing a report on Russia’s activities during the 2016 election.

But despite an unrequited plea for a pardon at the end of the Trump administration, Winner has now been released from prison due to good behavior and is now in the “residential reentry process” according to Ginter’s statement:

 I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison. She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful.

Reality and her family have asked for privacy during the transition process as they work to heal the trauma of incarceration and build back the years lost. Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated.

Reality is still barred from public statements or appearances, and any inquiries can be handled through my office.

Winner was arrested after an Intercept report on a classified NSA document detailing Russian attempts to hack into U.S. voting systems on the eve of the 2016 election was traced back to her.

Working as a contractor for the NSA in Augusta, Georgia, the 25-year-old is believed to have been the source of the documents sent to The Intercept and was charged with “removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.” The Intercept’s parent company First Look Media pledged to pay for Winner’s legal defense.