Convicted Spy Jonathan Pollard Granted Parole
Pollard was convicted in 1985 of stealing secrets from Israel.
— -- Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard has been granted release from prison by the U.S. Parole Commission, according to a U.S. official.
Pollard was sentenced to life behind bars after being arrested in 1985 for stealing government secrets for Israel while working for the U.S. government. Laws at the time mandated he be eligible for parole after serving 30 years, according to the Justice Department.
His is now set to be released on Nov. 21.
Last week, the Justice Department said it opposed Pollard’s release, saying it “has always and continues to maintain that Jonathan Pollard should serve his full sentence for the serious crimes he committed.” The department reiterated that position today.
But the department has also maintained it doesn't have much say in the matter.
“Our criminal laws and our sentencing laws have changed a great deal over the past 15, 20 years,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Saturday as the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “At the time [Pollard was sentenced] the system still provided for parole, and under the operation of law after 30 years it is a mandatory operation of parole -- absent a host of … other violations.”
Lynch said that while Pollard’s eligibility for parole “may seem surprising to many people now,” it is “in accordance with the law,” and Pollard’s “sentence has been carried out.”
“Our sentencing structure has changed significantly [since] the late '80s and early '90s, to where now a life sentence is in fact a life sentence,” she added.
Pollard was working as a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. government when he was arrested. He spied for Israel for more than a year.
His attorneys did not immediately return messages seeking comment.