(PatriotPostNews.com) – A former member of the United States National Guard has pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents from the Pentagon and accepted 16 years in prison as part of a deal.
Jack Teixeira, a serviceman with the Massachusetts Air National Guard in its 102nd Intelligence Wing, conceded on March 4 to charges related to his involvement in leaking highly classified government defense documents in 2023. According to prosecutors, the leak revealed details about American military opponents, such as potential plans that Ukraine would attack American troops in foreign countries.
Teixeira has pleaded guilty to six charges related to the “willful retention and transmission” of sensitive information about national defense. His jail time will range from 11 to 16 years, with the additional punishment of being under supervision for three years after he gets out of prison.
The leaker was not accused of any other Espionage Act violations, which the federal prosecutor agreed not to pursue in exchange for his guilty plea. Teixeira will also be fined $50,000 for his actions and is required to cooperate with members of the Defense Department and Justice Department as they conduct a “satisfactory debrief.”
While actively serving at his station, the Otis Air National Guard Base located in Massachusetts, Teixeira worked as an IT specialist for networks that housed the communications of military members.
In April 2023, the 22-year-old “accessed and printed hundreds” of national defense documents. He was arrested shortly after posting pictures of the classified material on a Discord chatroom that he operated. The social media chat was used to talk about religion and guns. The former National Guardsman had sent messages that included sensitive information prior to sharing photos of the documents themselves.
Following the leak, military officials expressed concern over the Pentagon’s process for vetting individuals who have access to classified information and protocols for maintaining its secrets.
Teixeira, who had a high-level security clearance, was reportedly in possession of numerous weapons and had previously engaged in concerning and violent speech. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 27.
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