A US Air Force intelligence analyst allegedly shared a trove of classified documents on the Discord chat platform with followers of the anti-government “Boogaloo” movement.
According to an FBI affidavit released this week, analyst Jason Gray, 28, shared information he “likely obtained” through his access to the National Security Agency (NSA) while stationed at a base in Alaska.
The affidavit accompanied a November 2022 search warrant that gave investigators access to his Discord account, linked to the Boogaloo movement that works to bring the United States toward a second civil war.
Gray’s alleged treasonous activity took place just months before the arrest of fellow Air Force officer Jack Teixeira, 21, who pleaded guilty this month to leaking documents classified on Discord and who must be sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Jason Gray, 28, is accused of sharing a trove of classified documents on Discord while stationed at an NSA facility at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (pictured) in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Air Force analyst was reportedly a supporter of the anti-government “Boogaloo” movement. Pictured: A Boogaloo protester demonstrates after the election of Joe Biden as president in January 2021
The loosely organized Boogaloo movement is well known for provoking violent uprisings intended to bring about the collapse of society, notably at the time of the January 6 riots.
Gray had been assigned to an NSA facility at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, providing him with access to classified documents.
He shared the information with more than a half-dozen other Boogaloo members on Discord, some of whom he could not identify, according to the affidavit.
While executing the search warrant, investigators also found more than 600 photos and videos on his devices showing sexual abuse of children as young as one year old, reports the Daily Beast.
He is currently waiting to begin a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to distributing child pornography.
The guilty plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors not to charge Gray for the leak of classified documents, according to court filings.
His actions come as officials say they are increasingly aware of the growth of the Boogaloo movement in recent years.
A member of the Boogaloo movement displays his Love Tours clip as he and others demonstrate in front of the Statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire, January 17, 2021.
“Dozens of Americans have been arrested in recent years while attempting to promote Boogaloo ideology through violence,” said Seamus Hughes, a senior fellow at the National Center for Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education. the University of Nebraska, to the Daily Beast.
“Partisans want a second civil war and sow chaos in America. A soldier should not be close to this ideology, let alone promote it by managing one of his accounts on social networks.
Following the leak, a Discord spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Post that the company “cooperated with law enforcement’s investigation once notified, including by producing legally requested data.”
“Sharing classified documents poses a significant and complex challenge for Discord as for any online platform,” the statement continued.
“And currently there is no structured process for the government to communicate its decisions to online platforms.”
Gray’s alleged treasonous activity took place just months before the arrest of fellow Air Force officer Jack Teixeira, 21, (pictured), who pleaded guilty this month to leaking classified documents on Discord and who faces a prison sentence of up to 16 years.
Gray’s November 2022 search warrant came months before the high-profile arrest of fellow Air Force officer Jack Teixeira, then 21 years old.
This month, he was convicted of leaking highly classified military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other national security secrets on Discord.
Teixeira admitted to all six charges relating to the deliberate withholding and transmission of national defense information, the largest security leak in years – and accepted a 16-year prison sentence as part of a plea agreement Monday.
In exchange, Boston prosecutors agreed not to charge him with other counts under the Espionage Act.
The leak led the Pentagon to tighten controls to protect classified information, and the Air Force sanctioned 15 personnel, with its inspector general finding last year that several officials intentionally failed to take the steps required regarding Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.