The alleged Pentagon backer has been ordered to remain in jail awaiting trial for violating the Espionage Act.
Jack Texeira, 21, is accused of posting hundreds of thousands of secret Ukraine war files on a game chat server in one of the most serious intelligence breaches in US history.
The disgraced Air National Guardsman appeared in federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts on Friday, where Magistrate Judge David Hennessy granted prosecutors’ motion to detain him.
Texeira’s lawyers have called for him to be released on house arrest pending trial, but Hennessy said he was at risk of fleeing and could still obstruct justice.
The judge said the number of Americans he was putting at risk was “as long as a phone book.”
Jack Texeira, 21, the alleged Pentagon leaker, has been sentenced to remain in jail awaiting trial for violating the Espionage Act
Texeira, who was arrested on April 13, is the prime suspect in leaking US documents related to the war in Ukraine and many other matters
These are two of the leaked documents that were shared by The New York Times
This document appears to show the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and May, when they are expected to be severely depleted
Teixeira, who was arrested on April 13, is the prime suspect in the release of US documents related to the war in Ukraine and many other matters.
He reportedly posted secret notes in an internet discussion forum that discussed the war in Ukraine, but also US ties to key allies like Israel.
The incident is an embarrassing leak that has the US government questioning its failure to protect vital national security secrets.
Teixeira appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit and a trendy new haircut.
His lawyers argued he would not leak and pointed out that he had not when news of his alleged leaks became national news.
He allegedly leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the Discord messaging app, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors claimed Teixeira kept notes of top-secret details shared at the meetings, which he later shared.
According to prosecutors, he was reprimanded in September and October for taking notes during meetings and ordered not to perform “deep dives into classified information”.
They added that he was caught in February ‘watching content unrelated to his duties’
The classified documents were allegedly shared with a 150-member Discord group that discussed guns and gaming.
Teixeira reportedly bragged about the level of access he had and told friends he would share “a ton of information” on US intelligence in countries including Syria, China, Iran, Palestine and Israel, among others.
Prosecutors said he wrote: ‘Idgaf (I don’t give af***) what they say I can or can’t share… [a]All the bullshit I said to you guys, I’m not supposed to.
The National Guard allegedly posted secret notes in an internet chat room that discussed the war in Ukraine, but also US ties to key allies such as Israel.
Jack Michael Teixeira arrives for his son Teixeira’s detention hearing on Friday
“Who did he put in danger? said Hennessy. “You could make a list as long as a phone book.”
The leak is considered the most serious breach of US national security as more than 700,000 diplomatic documents, videos and cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.
Teixeira is charged with one count of violation of the Espionage Act, related to the unlawful copying and transmission of sensitive defense material, and a second count related to the unlawful movement of material defense to an unauthorized location.
The leaked classified documents contained highly classified information on allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukrainian air defenses to Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
US President Joe Biden has ordered an investigation into why the alleged leaker had access to the sensitive information.
Teixeira is being held in the Plymouth County Jail, south of Boston.
According to the indictment, he received the highest security clearance in 2021 as a member of the National Guard.
FBI investigators arrested him without incident in Dighton, Massachusetts earlier this month during a raid on his mother’s home.
Officers found he kept his gun locker within reach of his bed and contained handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns and a gas mask.
Teixeira posted the treasure trove of top-secret files under his online username “Jack the Dripper” for months before the leak was discovered.
He worked as a junior cybersecurity specialist in the intelligence unit based at Otis Air National Guard Base on western Cape Cod.
Photographic evidence collected during the investigation into US Air National Guard Jack Teixeira, accused of leaking classified documents online
The criminal complaint against Jack Teixeira filed on April 14, 2023
It is believed to have started on the popular social media platform Discord.
Teixeira posted about guns, games and top secret US government information, but some of his fellow chatroom members reported his activities to investigators.
He alleged that the 21-year-old used his government computer to search classified intelligence reports on April 6 for the word “leak”.
It was the day the first stories broke about the huge security breach.
Prosecutors say he researched the term to establish whether US intelligence had information about the identity of the person behind the leaks.
This document appears to show the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and May, when they are expected to be severely depleted
He was identified as the leader of a chat room, known as Thug Shaker Central, on Discord.
He then allegedly posted images of folded papers because he felt his writings were not taken seriously, the Associated Press reported.
US Justice Department officials have opened an investigation into the 21-year-old, whose actions have embarrassed US allies around the world.
Longtime friends of Washington, from Britain to South Korea and Israel, called most of the information fake news.
It described possible arms deliveries to Ukraine, as well as details of Western-led training for Ukraine’s armed forces.
The 21-year-old’s actions have been roundly criticized by lawmakers from all political parties.
