A former FBI intelligence analyst, Kendra Kingsbury, 50, has received a prison sentence of nearly four years after pleading guilty to two counts of illegally retaining classified documents related to national defense. Kingsbury, who worked in the FBI's Kansas City office from 2004 to 2017, held a high-level security clearance, granting her access to sensitive national security information.
Kingsbury admitted to taking 386 classified documents and storing them at her North Kansas City residence on hard drives, CDs, and other media. These documents included information classified at the "secret" level, encompassing details about counterterrorism efforts, specific FBI investigations, sensitive national security operations, and the Bureau's technical capabilities.
Additionally, Kingsbury retained documents from another government agency that detailed intelligence sources and methods related to counterterrorism intelligence gathering, as well as information on the activities of emerging terrorist groups. The Justice Department revealed that an investigation into Kingsbury's potential use of the documents raised more questions than answers, particularly regarding suspicious calls made to and from numbers linked to counterterrorism investigations. Kingsbury has refused to explain these contacts.
Prior to sentencing, Kingsbury's lawyers requested probation, citing her self-reporting of the document retention, lack of prior criminal history, and compliance with pre-trial release conditions. They also highlighted Kingsbury's medical and family issues, which began shortly after she joined the FBI, as well as the public embarrassment and employment difficulties she faced after being dismissed from the agency. Kingsbury, a single mother residing in Garden City, Kansas, was also the primary caregiver for her elderly mother.
