LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, after nine months of incarceration Wen Ho Lee is just one step away from being a free man. He's been under a cloud of suspicion for allegedly mishandling the nation's nuclear secrets. But government sources say there is a deal in the works that could bring the case against him to a close. CNN Justice Department correspondent Pierre Thomas broke this story.</s>PIERRE THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned, former Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. government, one which could set him free within days. According to sources familiar with the deal, Lee will plead guilty to one felony count of mishandling classified information about U.S. nuclear weapons. In exchange, Lee will cooperate with the Justice Department, including agreeing to provide information about seven missing computer tapes containing nuclear secrets. Lee has been in jail since December 10 of last year. If the deal is approved by the judge overseeing the case, he will walk out of jail a free man because of time served. Sources close to Lee are hailing the deal as a major victory, pointing out prosecutors never proved Lee intended to harm U.S. national security. Lee's supporters also say the government had created the impression he was a spy, despite the fact they had no information he provided the secrets to anyone. Government sources countered that prosecutors never charged Lee with espionage. The sources say, finding out what happened to the missing tapes has always been paramount, and that the deal gives investigators a chance to do so. Under the deal, the FBI will have complete access to Lee, who will be subject to lie detector tests. But some may question why prosecutors hit Lee with a 59-count indictment, claimed he was a risk to national security, and held him in what amounted to solitary confinement for nine months. (on camera): One source tells CNN, as long as computer tapes holding classified information were missing, the U.S. government had to throw the book at Lee for maximum leverage. Pierre Thomas, CNN, Washington.
Wen Ho Lee Plea Agreement with U.S. Government Could Set Him Free Within Days