A FORMER Air National Guard member who admitted to leaking highly classified Pentagon documents on a social media group chat has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Jack Teixeira was responsible for one of the most “significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act” in US history when he shared top secret government documents with other users on Discord in April 2023, prosecutors said.
Jack Teixeira (right) pictured in a courtroom sketch during his appearance at the US District Court in Boston in April 2023AP
FBI officials swarmed Teixeira’s mother’s home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, when he was identified as the Pentagon leakerAFP or licensors
Investigators found a cache of firearms in Teixeira’s room during their searchReuters
Jack Teixeira Sr., the father of the Pentagon leaker, was pictured arriving at federal court for his son’s sentencing on TuesdayAP:Associated Press
Teixeira learned his fate on Tuesday, months after he pleaded guilty to six counts of willfully retaining and leaking national defense information under the Espionage Act in March.
The 22-year-old was escorted into the US District Court in Boston wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and smiled at his family before he sat at the defense table, according to Fox affiliate WFXT.
Federal prosecutors said Teixeira “understood the risk to his country and did it anyway.”
Teixeira apologized to the court before his sentencing was imposed.
“I’m sorry for all the harm that I have brought and I have caused,” he told Judge Indira Talwani.
“All of the responsibilities and consequences fall on my shoulders.”
Judge Talwani sentenced Teixeira to 15 years, saying that despite his extensive training in handling classified documents and the warning of criminal penalties, he still “posted on the internet hundreds of documents over the period of a year.”
‘A PERFECT STORM’
Federal prosecutors sought to set an example out of Teixeira and asked the judge for a maximum 17-year sentence.
“Jack Teixeira will be a cautionary tale for anyone in US government or military that if you do this, this is what will happen to you if you betray your oath. They will know his name,” prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, Teixeira’s defense team fought for an 11-year punishment, saying the airman accepted responsibility and his actions were the result of “a perfect storm.”
“Teixeira is trying to find a shared community. He wasn’t trying to harm the US government. It’s a function of his youth,” his defense attorney said, according to WFXT.
“This was a perfect storm. He had no friends. Then he was isolated in Covid. Finds friends [and] finally gets a sense of belonging.”
Teixeira, who at the time was a member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport system specialist and had security clearance to highly classified military documents.
PENTAGON DOCUMENTS LEAKED
Months before Teixeira’s arrest, Pentagon officials became aware of classified documents circulating on social media in December 2022, sparking an investigation to uncover the source of the leak.
The documents included sensitive information about the support the United States provided Ukraine in its ongoing military efforts against Russia.
The information contained details about the US and NATO’s plans to help Ukraine prepare ahead of a spring 2023 offensive against Russia and suggested China had secretly launched a 6,500 mph hypersonic missile that could beat American defense systems.
Some documents also alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin was undergoing chemotherapy treatment and detailed how a British spy plane narrowly avoided being shot down by the Russians due to a missile malfunction.
The leak was eventually traced back to a Discord chat of gamers titled Thug Shaker Central, a group of about 20 to 30 young men and boys.
The oddball Discord group bonded over their love of guns, offensive jokes, and video games after the world went into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Members described the group as a “tight-knit family,” according to the Washington Post.
Several members confirmed to The New York Times at the time that a friend sent the military documents.
Guys, it’s been good. I love you all. I never wanted it to get like this. I prayed to God that this would never happen.
Jack Teixeira
At first, Teixeira shared typed texts before sending full pictures of actual Pentagon papers, according to an affidavit.
Investigators said Teixeira switched his tactic after becoming fearful of potentially being “discovered making the transcriptions of text in the workplace.”
Teixeira was described as the “O.G.” and older than most of the people in the group.
Members said the airman “kept them in the loop” about the government’s plans.
FBI RAID TEIXEIRA’S HOME
After being identified as the leaker, Teixeira surrendered to FBI officials when dozens of heavily armed agents swarmed his mother‘s property in North Dighton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles east of Providence.
Aerial footage of the arrest showed Teixeira, dressed in red basketball shorts and an olive T-shirt, slowly stepping backward to federal agents with his hands behind his head.
Teixeira was immediately handcuffed before he was placed in the back of an armored vehicle.
Moments before federal agents arrived at his home, Teixeira frantically joined a call with his Discord pals and told them, “Guys, it’s been good – I love you all,” The New York Times reported at the time.
“I never wanted it to get like this. I prayed to God that this would never happen.
“And I prayed and prayed and prayed. Only God can decide what happens from now on,” Teixeira added.
In his bedroom, officials uncovered a gun locker just two feet from Teixeira’s bed, according to court documents.
Officials discovered several handguns, a gas mask, and bolt-action rifles inside the locker.
FBI agents also found ammunition pouches on his dresser and a military-style helmet in a dumpster.
Teixeira’s room was decorated with camouflaged print and paper shooting targets.
Aerial images showed Teixeira being arrested by heavily armed FBI agentsAP:Associated Press
Jack Teixeira’s bedroom, which was covered in camouflaged print and paper, that he shared in his mother and stepdad’s homeReuters
Teixeira was a member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts at the time of his arrestReuters
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