Disgraced former CIA chief David Petraeus has agreed to plead guilty to sharing classified information with his mistress , it emerged today . The former U.S. Army General will plead guilty to one felony count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material , according to documents filed in Charlotte , North Carolina . The plea deal , which Petraeus signed on February 22 , shows the government has agreed to recommend no prison time but will enforce a sentence of two years probation and a $ 40,000 fine . A judge , who is not bound by the recommendation , will make the final decision . The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison , a $ 100,000 fine and five years of probation . No immediate date has been set for Petraeus to enter the plea . By striking the deal , he avoids an embarrassing trial that would detail his relationship with Paula Broadwell . He stepped down as head of the CIA after their affair emerged in November 2012 . Scroll down for video . Affair : Former CIA chief David Petraeus will plead guilty to a charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified information after he handed over sensitive material to his mistress , Paula Broadwell , right . Documents filed in federal court state that between August 2011 and April 5 , 2013 , Petraeus did 'unlawfully and knowingly ' take classified materials and retain them at 'unauthorized ' locations . Prosecutors say that while Broadwell was writing Petraeus ' biography , he gave her binders of the classified materials that included notes about his discussions with President Obama . The binders , known as 'black books , ' were seized by the FBI in a search of Petraeus ' home . He lied to FBI agents about providing them to Broadwell and said he never gave her classified material , according to court documents . In late August 2011 , he took the books to the home where Broadwell was staying during a week-long trip to Washington , D.C. , according to the documents . He left the books with her so she could use them as source material for the biography , prosecutors said . Days later , Petraeus brought the books back to his home in Arlington , Virginia . An attorney for Petraeus , Robert Barnett , said he had no immediate comment . Petraeus , a four-star general who served as commander of the U.S . Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan , resigned from the CIA in 2012 when the affair emerged but always denied criminal wrongdoing . Broadwell , now 42 , met Petraeus , 62 , while she was a graduate student at Harvard University , where she was working on a dissertation about him . She wrote his biography , 'All In : The Education of General David Petraeus ' , which afforded them considerable time together . They carried on an affair between late 2011 and the summer of 2012 . But the relationship was later uncovered whiled the FBI investigated claims that one of Petraeus ' friends , Florida socialite Jill Kelley , was receiving threatening emails . Hurt : Paula Broadwell remains married to husband Scott , pictured together left in 2012 , while Petraeus is married to wife Holly , right , despite the affair that forced him to step down as CIA chief in 2012 . Scandal : The affair was revealed after Florida socialite Jill Kelley , pictured , contacted the FBI over threatening emails she had received . It emerged that Broadwell had sent the emails . The messages were found to have been sent by Broadwell , a married mother-of-two . As agents investigated Broadwell 's email account , they uncovered the affair and learned the CIA director had shared classified information with her . Petraeus , who remains married to wife Holly , acknowledged the affair as he stepped down . In May 2013 , Broadwell , who is also still married , finally issued an apology for the affair . ' I have remorse for the harm that this has caused , the sadness it has caused my family and other families , ' she told her local station , WSOC . ' I 'm very blessed . Blessed with an awesome family , a wonderful community that 's been a great part of my rehabilitation , if you will . Even when you 've made mistakes in life you can still contribute and pick up the stuff and move on . ' Petraeus was a celebrated general who was credited with helping pull Iraq from the brink of an all-out civil war . President Barack Obama turned to him to lead U.S. forces in Afghanistan before moving to him to the CIA in 2011 .
David Petraeus has agreed to plead guilty to one charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified information , it emerged on Tuesday . The charge alleges he took notebooks containing classified information to where his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell was staying in 2011 . The plea deal shows the government has recommended he face no prison time and instead gets two years probation and a $ 40,000 fine . But the charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison , a $ 100,000 fine and five years of probation . He had an affair with Broadwell between late 2011 and summer 2012 , and stepped down from the Broadwell after the relationship emerged .