Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, admitted Monday that he caused the most extraordinary leak of national defense secrets in years, accepting a 16-year prison sentence, potentially the longest in a wrongful detention case. Agreed.
According to a signed plea agreement filed in court, Teixeira, 22, agreed to plead guilty to all six counts of knowingly retaining and transmitting national defense information. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with additional charges under the Espionage Act.
Teixeira “accessed and printed hundreds of classified documents” and posted images of them on Discord before his arrest last April, prosecutors said Monday at a hearing in federal court in Boston. I made it. The state Air Force officer pleaded guilty.
Teixeira entered the courtroom handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit with the initials for Plymouth County Correctional Facility, PCCF, on the back and appeared to smile at his father, who was sitting in the second row. Ta.
He stood before Judge Indira Talwani with defense attorney Michael Bachrach, identified himself and answered basic questions. His close-cropped black hair was neatly combed on top, and the bottom half of his head was shaved.
Mr. Talwani asked Mr. Teixeira if he understood that he was agreeing to a maximum sentence of 16 years, but at least 11 years.
“Yes, sir, I understand,” Teixeira said, leaning into the microphone in the defense box.
“Now how do you plead counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6? Guilty or not guilty?” the clerk asked. “Guilty,” Teixeira replied.
As part of his plea agreement, Teixeira must attend hearings with the Department of Defense and Justice Department and return any classified materials that may remain in his possession.
Sentencing for Teixeira is scheduled for September 27th.
Defense officials confirmed to ABC News that Teixeira remains on active duty in the Air Force and could face U.S. military charges after the civilian criminal charges are adjudicated. . As a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, he is on Title 10 active duty status in the Air Force, which will determine whether Teixeira also faces military criminal charges.
Federal prosecutors said Mr. Teixeira had no need to look into classified information because his junior position did not require him to do so.
“The defendant's job was troubleshooting computer workstations,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey.
Still, Mr. Casey accessed “hundreds” of classified documents within the secure facility where Mr. Teixeira worked and “deliberately deleted classified documents and information despite advice from his superiors not to do so.” I did,” he said.
Teixeira posted the content on Discord using the nickname “theexcalibereffect,” and “took steps to cover up his illegal activity,” Casey said.
Federal prosecutors did not provide details, but Teixeira allegedly collected information about a foreign adversary's breach of a specific account at a U.S. company, as well as information about equipment the U.S. was sending to Ukraine, how it was sent, and how it was used once it was received. He said he had exposed. Prosecutors said he also posted material about troop movements in Ukraine, plans by foreign adversaries to attack U.S. forces abroad, and the transportation of supplies by Western countries to Ukrainian battlefields.
“You knew it was classified, right?” Talwani asked Teixeira. “Yes, sir,” Teixeira replied.
Casey said Teixeira told members of his Discord chat group that they were “breaking a ton of UD regulations,” referring to unauthorized disclosure regulations, but prosecutors said Teixeira also He also boasted, “No one knows anything about me that would incriminate me.''
Teixeira, who was 21 at the time of his arrest, pleaded not guilty in June 2023 to six charges of knowingly retaining and transmitting national defense information.
According to the Justice Department, Teixeira's service history shows he joined the Air National Guard in 2019 and had a top-secret security clearance since 2021.
According to the Department of Justice, he began posting classified documents online in January 2022.
In December, 15 airmen were disciplined, including removal from command, for failing to take appropriate action when they became aware of Teixeira's intelligence activities, according to an extensive Air Force investigation.
An internal investigation found Teixeira responsible for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, but also found that members of his unit did not properly inspect areas under their command or provided inconsistent guidance on reporting security incidents. It turned out that the company had not taken necessary measures, such as
ABC News' Alexander Marin and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
