Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other national security secrets on Discord.
The 22-year-old admitted all six charges related to the intentional retention and transmission of national defense information in the largest security breach in years, and accepted a 16-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal on Monday.
In exchange, Boston prosecutors agreed not to charge him with further charges under the Espionage Act.
Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, has been behind bars since his arrest in April.
His case raised alarm about the United States’ ability to protect its best-kept secrets and forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout.
Jack Teixeira previously pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged posting of classified documents on the social media platform Discord, but prosecutors have now asked a federal judge to schedule a change of plea hearing for Monday.
FBI agents arrest Teixeira, a U.S. Air Force National Guard employee, in connection with an investigation into online leaks of classified U.S. documents, outside a residence in this still image taken from video in North Dighton, Massachusetts, on April 13, 2023.
Jack Douglas Teixeira appears in this image from his 2020 high school yearbook. Teixeira graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School in Massachusetts
The leak prompted the Pentagon to tighten controls to safeguard classified information, and the Air Force disciplined 15 personnel when its inspector general found last year that several officials intentionally failed to take required action over Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Teixeira must also attend a briefing with the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, and return any confidential materials he still possesses.
Teixeira, who was 21 years old at the time of his arrest, previously pleaded not guilty to six counts of intentionally withholding and transmitting national defense information under the Espionage Act.
Each charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Last year, a judge ordered Teixeira to remain behind bars while he awaits trial after prosecutors revealed he had a history of violent rhetoric and warned that U.S. adversaries who might be interested in extracting information from Teixeira could help him. escape.
Before pleading guilty, Teixeira remained in the Air National Guard without pay, the Air Force said.
Teixeira was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts when authorities say he illegally collected military secrets and shared them with other users on Discord, a social media platform popular with people who play games. online.
Investigators say Teixeira was in charge of a group on the platform called Thug Shaker Central, which discussed guns and wars.
Teixeira, 22, was charged with six counts of intentionally withholding national defense information and subsequently leaking it.
The U.S. Department of Justice released photographic evidence collected during the investigation into a U.S. Air National Guard member accused of leaking classified documents online.
Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019 and began sharing military secrets with his Discord friends last January.
Conversations between the 22-year-old and members of the Discord group indicate that his actions may have been motivated more by bravado than a specific ideology.
Prosecutors have urged the judge to keep the defendant locked up while the case unfolds for reasons that include a large arsenal of weapons found in his home and a history of disturbing statements online.
Investigators say Teixeira was in charge of a group on the platform called Thug Shaker Central, which discussed guns and wars.
In a social media post, he wrote that if he could, he would kill “a bunch of people” because it would be “sacrificing the weak-minded.”
Judge Indira Talwani denied him bail after determining that “no set of release conditions will reasonably ensure the safety of the community or prevent the destruction of evidence.”
Teixeira worked as a “cyber transportation systems specialist,” essentially an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks.
Authorities said he first wrote classified documents that he accessed and then began sharing photos of files that were marked SECRET and TOP SECRET.
Teixeira’s crimes were discovered on April 6 of last year, the same day the New York Times published a story about the leaked documents.
The leak exposed to the world secret, unvarnished assessments of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the geopolitical capabilities and interests of other nations, and other national security issues.
Then the allies had to be assured that their secrets were well safeguarded by the United States government.
Prosecutors have said little about the alleged motive. But members of the Discord group described Teixeira as someone who sought to show off, rather than being motivated by a desire to inform the public about US military operations or influence US policy.
Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, seated second from right, is accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform.
Prosecutors have said little about the alleged motive. But members of the Discord group described Teixeira as someone who seeks to show off, rather than being motivated by a desire to inform the public about US military operations or influence US policy.
Prosecutors have said Teixeira continued to leak government secrets even after his superiors warned him about mishandling and improperly viewing classified information he did not have permission to see.
In one case, Teixeira was seen taking notes on intelligence information and putting them in his pocket.
Even after the warning, he was again singled out for reviewing information that was not directly related to the intelligence field.
Authorities have not provided much information about possible motives for Teixeira’s behavior.
The Air Force inspector general found that members “intentionally failed to report all details” of Teixeira’s unauthorized intelligence search because they thought security officials might overreact.
For example, although Teixeira was confronted about the note, there was no follow-up to ensure that the note had been destroyed and the incident was not reported to security officials.
It was not until an incident in January 2023 that the appropriate security officials were notified, but even then security officials were not informed of the full extent of the violations.