Jack Teixeira, the Pentagon leaker whose actions constitute one of the most significant national security breaches in years, entered a plea deal on Monday that could result in more than 16 years of imprisonment.
The 22-year-old former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman appeared in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, attired in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackled. According to a Washington Post reporter present at the proceeding, Teixeira nodded to his family before the session began.
Teixeira pleaded guilty to all six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information against him, offenses that could have led to a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
Prosecutors characterized the case not as espionage but as the misguided actions of a low-ranking airman seeking validation from his online gaming peers. Teixeira boasted of having top-security clearance regarding sensitive matters concerning Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran, and China, as reported by the New York Times.
Despite the absence of espionage intent, federal authorities emphasized the severity of Teixeira’s actions. Among the classified data he shared were Pentagon documents detailing intelligence assessments of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including logistics of equipment transfer and usage, according to a federal indictment.
Teixeira admitted to abusing his security clearance by transferring classified documents from government networks and photographing them, subsequently sharing them on Discord.
He was apprehended at his mother’s residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts, in April after the leaked information began circulating online. His guilty plea contrasts with his earlier plea of not guilty last year.
Under the terms of the plea deal, Teixeira agreed to a prison sentence ranging from 11 to 16 years and eight months. A federal judge is scheduled to formally sentence him in September, likely adhering to the guidelines outlined in the plea deal, which has received approval from top U.S. intelligence officials.
Teixeira will also be fined $50,000 and subjected to three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. He is required to participate in debriefings with the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice and return any remaining national security documents in his possession.
Furthermore, Teixeira must acknowledge his ongoing legal obligation to refrain from unauthorized disclosure of classified information or information related to national defense. In return, federal prosecutors have agreed not to charge him with additional crimes under the Espionage Act.
