Pentagon classified documents leaker Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty in a federal court Monday for leaking hundreds of classified documents containing sensitive information about U.S. military operations and assessments, The New York Times reported.
Authorities arrested the then-21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard member in April 2023 at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts, after discovering he was the most likely individual behind a massive leak of timely and sensitive Pentagon intelligence. In a reversal, Teixeira agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a shorter sentence and a pledge to brief officials on the extent of his illegal dissemination of classified intelligence, court documents filed Monday show, according to the NYT.
The Justice Department (DOJ) indicted Teixeira on June 15 with six counts involving “willful retention and distribution of highly classified information pertinent to national defense,” in addition to previous charges. However, Teixeira initially pleaded not guilty on all counts.
The DOJ then agreed not to charge Teixeira under the Espionage Act, which would have boosted his maximum prison sentence up to 60 years, according to the NYT. Prosecutors said they found no evidence of espionage, saying that he initially posted transcriptions of the documents to an online chat server to impress his friends.
The Justice Department agreed not to charge him with violations of the Espionage Act, which, when combined with the other charges, could have resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years in prison had he been convicted, according to the NYT.
Indira Talwani, the federal judge on the case, scheduled a hearing for September to determine whether she would approve the arrangement already endorsed by senior U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials, the NYT reported.
While working as an IT specialist for the Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing based near Cape Cod, Teixeira began printing and photographing documents labeled SECRET and TOP SECRET accessed through unauthorized searches of a classified network, the NYT reported. He then posted hundreds on Discord, although the full number is not known.
The classified documents described Ukrainian battle positions, sensitive negotiations with U.S. allies, and assessments of the capabilities of U.S. allies and adversaries. Prosecutors say the exposure of the documents — the total number disclosed remains unknown — jeopardized national security.
Court filings show that his superiors in the Massachusetts Air National Guard knew of Teixeira’s poor intelligence handling habits long before he began printing classified documents and funneling them to his home but failed to restrict his access.
Teixeira remains a member of the Air National Guard on an unpaid basis, The Associated Press reported, citing an Air Force official. He has been in detention since his arrest.
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