John Bolton, a former national security adviser for US President Donald Trump who has since become one of his fiercest critics, reportedly pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to illegally retaining classified information.
Sources previously told Reuters that under a deal with prosecutors that included a sentencing range from no prison time to as many as five years behind bars, with the final sentence to be determined by a judge.
As part of the agreement, Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine.
According to the report, Bolton must make half that payment within five days of sentencing and the full payment within 90 days of sentencing.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28 by in Greenbelt, Maryland.
What is Boson accused of?
Bolton is accused of sharing sensitive information with two relatives for possible use in a memoir he was writing, including notes on intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders.
He pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining classified information. His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time behind bars, but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment.
He pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal charges last year.
Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term in office, is one of several notable political opponents who have faced prosecution from Trump’s Justice Department, erasing longstanding norms that had separated law enforcement efforts from partisan considerations.
But unlike other cases brought against Trump critics, the began before Trump returned to office in 2025 and had the backing of career federal prosecutors.
Bolton served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before getting pushed out in 2019. He later published a book called “The Room Where it Happened” that presented an unflattering portrait of Trump’s leadership.
Other have been charged with federal crimes during his second term in the White House. While some of those cases have collapsed under judicial scrutiny and amid claims of political retribution, Bolton didn’t mount a vigorous defense against his charges before cutting a deal.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office last August, but the investigation began before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
