Paula Broadwell Will Not Be Charged With Cyberstalking In Petraeus Scandal

Paula Broadwell, the biographer whose extramarital affair with former CIA director, Gen. David Petraeus, led to his resignation in November, will not be charged with cyberstalking, the federal government said on Tuesday.

Broadwell's attorney, Robert F. Muse provided the Associated Press with a letter he had received from U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill, who represents the Tampa district. The letter said that Broadwell would not face any charges in connection with "alleged acts of cyberstalking."

"After applying relevant case law to the particular facts of this case, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida has decided not to pursue a federal case regarding the alleged acts of cyber stalking' involving Paula Broadwell," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a copy of the letter obtained by the AP.

Broadwell's affair with Petraeus was exposed after she was found to have sent harassing emails to another Petraeus female acquaintance, Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. In a series of anonymous messages, Broadwell urged Kelley to stay away from "her man." She also sent emails to government officials who were friendly with Kelley, including Gen. John Allen, warning them to stay away from Kelley. Kelley eventually showed the emails to an FBI agent, who opened an investigation.

That led to the discovery that Broadwell, 40, a West Point graduate, had developed a relationship with Petraeus while researching and writing his biography. Broadwell is married with two children, while Petraeus, a four-star general who was once considered a viable candidate for president of the U.S., has been married for 38 years. In his resignation, Petraeus admitted to the affair and apologized for his "extremely poor judgment."

In a statement, Muse expressed relief at the outcome. "We are pleased with the decision."

In addition to the cyberstalking allegations, Broadwell is also under investigation by the FBI in connection to low-level classified documents that were found at her home in Charlotte, N.C., most of which were on her home computer. After a search of Broadwell's home, law enforcement officials told the Washington Times that many of the documents had been improperly stored.

Both Broadwell and Petraeus publicly denied that he had supplied her with any classified documents, and officials have said that her security clearance would have theoretically enabled her access to the documents. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington declined to comment on the matter.