Former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman jack teixeiraA man who admitted that he illegally posted sensitive military information in online chat rooms in what prosecutors called one of the “most prolific” and “rare” government leak operations will be sentenced Tuesday in a Boston court.
Teixeira, a 22-year-old Massachusetts native, pleaded guilty in March to six counts of violating Espionage ActAdmitting that he was behind the distribution of dozens of classified government documents – including some marked “Top Secret” – on the social media platform Discord. Investigators said the classified documents included in the leak covered a number of sensitive issues, but the most notable were those regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, detailed military activities and the timeline for delivery of Western weapons to the war-torn country.
Federal law enforcement arrested Teixeira at his family's Massachusetts home following a weeks-long investigation into how many sensitive Pentagon records were ending up online.
Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to sentence the defendant to 200 months in prison – nearly 17 years – for his central role in “one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history,” which prompted reforms. Have done. Management of classified information.
“The harm that the defendants caused to national security through their disclosure of national defense information is extraordinary,” prosecutors wrote in an October court filing.
Investigators said Teixeira, who had a top secret security clearance as an IT worker at Otis Air National Guard Base for more than a year, illegally accessed classified documents and either copied the information before posting the data to Discord. Hand copied or printed records. chat rooms. He also sent messages to individuals on his forums and offered to receive exclusive information about “events related to your country,” court records said.
National defense information began appearing online in February 2022, but investigators did not link the leak to Teixeira for more than a year. Prosecutors alleged that Teixeira knew his conduct was illegal and accused him of violating his oath to serve.
As the investigation into the leak focused on Teixeira's unit, prosecutors alleged in previous court documents that Teixeira began instructing others in the Discord group to “delete all messages.”
,[i]”If anyone comes looking, don't call them bullshit,” he reportedly wrote to one user. And he said to another, “Try deleting all my messages in civil discussions.”
“Overall, the defendant's criminal conduct over the course of more than a year 'had a serious and negative impact' on the mission of the Department of Defense, endangering his fellow soldiers, other civilians, and allied governments around the world,” prosecutors argued last month. Put.” Urged the judge to give strict punishment.
However, Teixeira's defense attorney, seeking an 11-year prison sentence, told the judge, “His intention was never to harm the United States,” but rather “to tell his friends about world events.” “The aim was to educate them to ensure that they are not misled by misinformation.” ,
Disclosing that Teixeira had been diagnosed with autism, his attorney wrote in an October court filing that “his intentions and decisions were benign, not nefarious.” The defense filing argued that Teixeira accepted responsibility for the crimes he admitted, including participating in an hour-long briefing with members of the intelligence community.
“Jack Teixeira's actions are inexcusable,” the lawyer wrote, describing his client not as a criminal leaker but as a misguided young man swept up in an online ecosystem. “However, Jack is still essentially a child – at least, a 'young offender' – with his whole life ahead of him.”
Following Teixeira's arrest, the Air Force Inspector General found that individuals in his Massachusetts unit failed to take appropriate action after at least four separate security incidents. The review concluded that members of his unit “enabled” the leak by not properly monitoring their access to classified information. The report's findings resulted in the Air National Guard taking action against 15 individuals for “negligence in the performance of duties”.
Teixeira is also charged with disobeying orders and obstruction of justice in a military court martial, with a verdict expected in March.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.