She is 37-year old Jill Kelley of Tampa Bay, Florida.
Kelley is an "unpaid social liaison" to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where the military's Central Command and Special Operations Commands are located, reports the AP, citing an unnamed senior military official.
A mutual acquaintance of Kelley and Petraeus confirms that they are friends.
The Petraeus investigation was allegedly triggered by hostile emails from Petraeus's biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell, to another woman in Petraeus's life. The second woman felt harassed by the emails and reported them to the FBI.
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The subsequent investigation then turned up the affair that led to Petraeus's resignation.
To be clear, the AP report does not suggest that Petraeus and Kelley were sexually involved in any way.
Reports say that Jill Kelley is married to Dr. Scott Kelley of Tampa*. Jill was a medical student at one point, but put her studies on hold to have a baby, according to 2003 story in the St. Petersburg Times.
The couple were featured in 2007 in Tampa Bay Magazine in the photo spread below:
The Kelleys live in a "regal brick mansion" estimated to be worth about $1.3 million. They have three kids.
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The connection between the Kelleys and David Petraeus has not yet been revealed, but some evidence of this connection is starting to emerge. The Kelleys were listed on the "DRAFT VIP LIST" for an "Army Ball" in April 2011:
General David Petraeus and his wife Holly also appear to have been friends of the Kelleys and to have visited the Kelleys house in 2010, according to this article in the Tampa Bay Times:
"Awesome," Gen. David Petraeus said of his first Gasparilla parade.
Petraeus, who runs the U.S. Central Command from MacDill Air Force Base, and his wife, Holly, watched from the comfort of a big tent on Bayshore Boulevard. They were guests of surgeon Scott Kelley and his wife, Jill.
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"You have to see it to believe it, even in the rain," said Petraeus, who spent the afternoon chatting candidly with two dozen guests, including state attorney general candidate Pam Bondi and Bern's Steak House owner David Laxer.
The AP has more, along with a statement from the Kelleys. If Jill Kelley is a "liaison," as originally reported, it's not an official position, and she's not getting paid for the work:
Staffers for Petraeus said Kelley and her husband were regular guests at events he held at Central Command headquarters.
In a statement Sunday evening, Kelley and her husband, Scott, said: "We and our family have been friends with Gen. Petraeus and his family for over five years. We respect his and his family's privacy and want the same for us and our three children."
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A U.S. official said the coalition countries represented at Central Command gave Kelley an appreciation certificate on which she was referred to as an "honorary ambassador" to the coalition, but she has no official status and is not employed by the U.S. government.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the case publicly, said Kelley is known to drop the "honorary" part and refer to herself as an ambassador...
A former associate of Petraeus confirmed the target of the emails was Kelley, but said there was no affair between the two, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the retired general's private life. The associate, who has been in touch with Petraeus since his resignation, says Kelley and her husband were longtime friends of Petraeus and wife, Holly.
There's also a photo album on SmugMug entitled "General Petraeus Going Away Party" with photos of the Kelleys and Holly Petraeus.
SEE ALSO: In An October Speech, Paula Broadwell Revealed How She "Sealed The Deal" With Petraeus
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*This story originally stated that Dr. Kelley is a surgeon at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute. According to the Moffitt Cancer Center, Dr. Kelley has not worked there since 2008. We regret the error.
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