Those lesser charges include: five counts of espionage, five counts of theft, a computer fraud charge and a handful of other military infractions, according to the Associated Press.
The verdict comes after an eight-week court-martial at Fort Meade in Maryland that saw the military prosecutors paint Manning as an anarchist hacker who betrayed his country by knowingly providing aid to al-Qaida because members of the terrorist group—like almost anyone else with an Internet connection—were able to access the once-secret material once WikiLeaks published the trove of documents online. Manning’s defense, meanwhile, argued that the 25-year-old was a young and naive whistle-blower who was “trying to ply his knowledge to hopefully save lives.”
While the aiding-the-enemy charge was the most severe (and controversial) charge that Manning faced—it could have brought with it a life sentence without the possibility of parole—he had already pleaded guilty to ten lesser charges that carry up to 20 years in prison, along with a dishonorable discharge. When the espionage and theft convictions are factored in, he is expected to spend a large chunk of time behind bars. We won’t know exactly how large until tomorrow morning’s sentencing, although by Mother Jones’ count, the Army private faces a possible sentence of more than 130 years.
Slate will have more on the verdict and what it means later.
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This post has been updated with additional information as it became available.