Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old American airman accused of leaking top-secret Pentagon documents online, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Boston as part of a plea deal. He accepted a prison sentence of more than 16 years in exchange for more serious espionage charges being dropped.
Teixeira pleaded guilty to a total of six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defense information. He will not face accusations of espionage as part of the plea deal reached between prosecutors and his lawyers. AFP reported that Teixeira will be sentenced to serve up to 16 years and eight months in prison and must pay a fine of $50,000. He will also need to help intelligence officials understand the scope and impact of his revelations, made on the social media platform Discord.
"Mr. Teixeira exploited his Top-Secret security clearance to share our nation’s secrets on a social media platform. He violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend and, in doing so, he undermined our national security and risked the safety of Americans serving overseas and our allies,” Deputy Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement.
Teixeira acknowledges the seriousness of the events
When asked by the head judge if he had any objections to the evidence, Teixeira said no. When asked if he knew the documents were classified, he responded: "Yes, your honor."
The defendant, who worked in the Air National Guard as a computer and communications specialist at Cape Cod Base near Boston, was arrested in April last year for allegedly orchestrating the most damaging leak of classified U.S. documents in a decade. The leaks notably revealed U.S. intelligence concerns about the feasibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces. They also suggested that Washington collects classified data on its closest allies, such as Israel and South Korea.
Deputy Attorney General Olsen stressed that “every instance of mishandling classified information weakens our defense and compromises our ability to thwart potential threats. We cannot afford to underestimate the gravity of this conduct; it has far-reaching consequences that transcend individual interests.”
Teixeira was detained on April 13 in a dramatic arrest broadcast live on television. Had he faced charges under the Espionage Act, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.
