Ex-U.S. Navy SEAL author agrees to pay $6.8 million to government: NY Times

[August 22, 2016]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former U.S. Navy SEAL who wrote a book about the daring operation on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan has agreed to forfeit $6.8 million in book royalties and speaking fees, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing federal court documents.

The grounds of the compound are seen after U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

Matt Bissonnette, who wrote the book under the pseudonym "Mark Owen," also apologized in a statement for not getting the book vetted by the Pentagon before it was published in 2012, the New York Times said.

"I accept responsibility for failing to submit the book for review and apologize sincerely for my oversight,” the newspaper reported the statement as saying.

In the past the Pentagon has threatened legal action against Bissonnette for alleged violation of non-disclosure agreements because the manuscript was not submitted for a pre-publication security review.

The Department of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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