A scandal three years in the making may soon reach its anticlimactic end. The U.S. Army has decided not to recommend punishment for General David H. Petraeus, a former CIA director who provided his biographer/lover with top-secret materials.

The final decision regarding Petraeus and his punishment is in the hands of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who has the option of overruling the Army. However, it is unusual for a defense secretary to do so in a case like this. Petraeus is virtually in the clear.

The Scandal

The Petraeus scandal started as most do–with a love pentagon. Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell had an extramarital affair that included the sharing and discussion of secret intel. Despite their close relationship, Broadwell became jealous of Jill Kelley, a socialite who was friends with Petraeus. Kelley started receiving disturbing, anonymous emails that suggested that the stalker knew classified information about military officers and contacted the FBI in May 2012. When the FBI dug into the case, it found that Broadwell had been sending those emails in order to find out if Kelley was having an affair with Petraeus.

With this discovery the dams burst, and suddenly the FBI had stumbled upon several years worth of correspondence between Broadwell and Petraeus. Information from when Petraeus served as commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan had been shared with Broadwell, including the names of undercover agents, codenames and strategies. The agency also found sexually charged photos and messages from Kelley to other military officials, though not Petraeus as Broadwell has suspected. Shortly after the 2012 presidential election, President Obama had a meeting with Petraeus, who immediately tendered his resignation.

The Aftermath

Petraeus plead in April for mishandling classified information. He received two years probation and a $100,000 fine.

He publicly apologized for his conduct for the first time in September.

“Four years ago, I made a serious mistake – one that brought discredit on me and pain to those closest to me,” Petraeus said. “It was a violation of the trust placed in me and a breach of the values to which I had been committed throughout my life.”

Broadwell, an officer in the Army Reserve, has not been charged at all.

The Washington Post reported that though it’s unlikely for Defense Secretary Carter to further punish Petraeus, he could very well still slash the retired general’s benefits and reputation.

Among other possibilities, Petraeus could still receive a reprimand or even a reduction in rank should Carter determine that his service as a four-star general was unsatisfactory. Besides further tarnishing Petraeus’s reputation, such a move could cost him tens of thousands of dollars a year in pension payments.