LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Broadwell is at the center of a national sex scandal that has ended the career of retired four-star general Petraeus and now threatens that of General Allen. The affair between Broadwell and Petraeus was first uncovered after threatening messages were sent to 37-year-old Jill Kelley, wherein Broadwell told her to cool her friendship with Petraeus.

Broadwell also sent emails using the pseudonym "KelleyPatrol" warning General Allen about Kelley the "seductress" - sources say that these emails were lewd and solicitous, in the manner of "phone sex."

General Allen, who is married who two daughters, denies any wrongdoing. Officials claim his emails to Kelley, who is also married with children, were simply friendly and not "inappropriate" or flirtatious.

However, sources have told Fox News that the emails between the pair were so explicit that they could be compared to "the equivalent of phone sex over email."

Broadwell's admission to taking classified military documents from government buildings and stashing them in her home have since emerged. This has raised more concerns over whether the affair led to security breaches. An FBI search of Broadwell's home in Charlotte, North Carolina led agents to cart away boxes and computers.

Broadwell told FBI agents investigating the affair that she had taken "a significant number of military documents," a source told ABC.

The U.S. government demanded she return the papers and organized the visit. Prosecutors are now deciding whether to charge her with a crime as she has potentially violated federal law. Broadwell is cooperating with the investigation.

She has since taken refuge at a house owned by her brother, Stephen Kranz, in the Petworth suburb of Washington D.C.

Another official says that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta would not have referred this matter to an internal investigator without being sure that he had to. The issue is so significant it would impact Allen's family and the U.S. war effort.

"This was a serious enough matter that those who examined the emails thought it should be referred to the secretary of defense, and the secretary made the decision to turn it over to the inspector general," the official said to Fox News.

"He would not have thrust this into the limelight without good cause."

Investigators are reviewing 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails between Kelley and Allen which date from between 2010 to 2012.

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