Could Face 15 Years If Convicted

Topline

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman arrested Thursday by the FBI in connection with one of the most significant leaks of defense documents in years that has sent shockwaves through the Pentagon, was formally charged in Boston federal court Friday.

Federal officials leave the property where Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, … [+] was taken into custody in Dighton, Mass., Thursday, April 13, 2023. Teixeira, 21, was arrested Thursday in connection with the disclosure of highly classified military documents about the Ukraine war and other top national security issues. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)

Key Facts

Teixeira was charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material, according to multiple reports.

Unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information is a violation of the Espionage Act and carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, the New York Times reported, noting that removing and retaining classified documents carries a max sentence of five years in prison.

Teixeira did not speak to Judge David Hennessy during the hearing, other than to say “yes” when asked if he understands his right to remain silent, but exchanged “I love yous” with a man he called “Dad” who was sitting in the front row of the courtroom, the New York Times reported.

Federal prosecutors allege Teixeira is the source of hundreds of defense documents leaked online over the past three months that detail military secrets, including U.S. officials’ predictions for the outcome of Ukrainian military efforts and revelations that key U.S. allies have struck deals with the Russian military.

The leak—which comes a decade after former Army soldier Chelsea Manning and former government contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified military documents—has prompted concerns among Defense officials that potentially hundreds of thousands of people may have access to the documents, Politico reported.

Defense officials have already begun limiting the number of people who have access to classified information, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday, noting that the agency trusts its “members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age.”

Crucial Quote

President Joe Biden commended the “rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond” to the leak in a statement Friday that says the federal government is still “determining the validity” of the documents, many of which were reportedly heavily modified before they were released online. Biden also said he has directed military and intelligence officials to tighten security protocols to “limit distribution of sensitive information.”

Key Background

Prosecutors allege an account with Teixeira’s internet user name began sharing the classified military documents with members of an online gaming chat group known as Thug Shaker Central—comprised primarily of teenagers who shared racist memes and video games—beginning in January. The documents were later posted to the Discord gamer chat platform, the Kremlin-backed Telegram app and Twitter, among other social media sites. Teixeira, who joined the National Guard in 2019, worked as a junior-level technology support staffer in the Air Force’s cyber transport system, which manages its global communications network, according to prosecutors. He was arrested Thursday afternoon by the FBI at his mother’s home in North Dighton, Massachusetts.

Tangent

Defense officials expressed shock and anger after the leak was first revealed by the New York Times on April 6 and initially said they had not identified its source or managed to remove the files. The documents include military secrets that indicate vulnerabilities in key U.S. partnerships. One “top secret” file contradicts Biden’s public expressions of confidence in Ukraine by revealing U.S. officials believe Ukrainian forces could run out of weapons within a matter of weeks and fall “well short” of their goals for a spring counter-offensive against Russia, according to multiple reports. Other documents show Egypt planned to send rockets to Russia in a deal it wanted to conceal from its western allies, the Washington Post reported.

Surprising Fact

Teixeira used a classified intelligence database to search the word “leak” on April 6, the same day the New York Times first reported the documents had spread online, prosecutors said.

What We Don’t Know

Teixeira’s motive in allegedly releasing the documents. Members of the Discord group he reportedly led told the Times and the Washington Post he deeply distrusted the government and may have leaked the documents to show off to fellow users. Federal prosecutors said in the 11-page criminal complaint against Teixeira that he took the documents home and photographed them so that he wouldn’t be caught transcribing them at work, a member of his Discord group allegedly told investigators.

What To Watch For

Teixeira will be held in federal custody until his detention hearing on Wednesday.