Retired Air Force officer gets 3 years in prison for keeping classified documents

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for keeping classified documents at his home and other unauthorized locations. Court documents show that 55-year-old Robert Birchum was sentenced Thursday in Tampa federal court. He pleaded guilty in February to unlawfully possessing and retaining classified documents relating to the national defense of the United States. According to the plea agreement, Birchum, who retired in 2018 as a lieutenant colonel, served in various positions in intelligence over his 29-year career. In 2017, prosecutors say law enforcement officers discovered that Birchum knowingly removed more than 300 classified files or documents, including more than 30 items marked top secret, from authorized locations.