On Monday, Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old accused of leaking classified U.S. military documents and images to gaming users on a social media platform, agreed to a 16-year prison sentence.
TOPSHOT - This photo illustration created on April 13, 2023, shows the suspect, national guardsman Jack Teixeira, reflected in an image of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. - FBI agents on Thursday arrested a young national guardsman suspected of being behind a major leak of sensitive US government secrets -- including about the Ukraine war. US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest made "in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information."
A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Teixeira, pleaded guilty to all six counts charging him with willful retention and transmission of national defense information, according to a signed court filing obtained by ABC News.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with additional counts under the Espionage Act.
What Does The Plea Deal Entail?
Under a plea agreement, he must give a debrief in a sit-down with the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Justice. He is also under direct order to return any sensitive materials that may be in his possession.
A defense official 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 have been adjudicated. As a Massachusetts Air National guardsman, he had been placed on Title 10 active duty status in the Air Force, which would determine if Teixeira should also face military criminal charges.
Teixeira was arrested at his mother's house in North Dighton, Massachusetts, and has remained in custody since April 2023 after leaking classified records to gamers on the Discord messaging app. At the time, he worked as a cyber defense operations journeyman with a rank of airman 1st class at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The Pentagon leak suspect began collecting secret military documents in January 2022 and continued to do so even after his superiors remanded him for his handling of classified records in September and October 2022, as reported by The Guardian.
Among the data he was accused of releasing to the general public were detailed intelligence assessments of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including "how the equipment would be transferred, and how the equipment would be used upon receipt," disclosed the New York Post.
The leak was allegedly to impress fellow gamers in the Discord app and is considered to be the most serious breach of U.S. national security since the 2010 WikiLeaks publication of more than 700,000 classified documents.
Furthermore, his unit's commanding officer, Sean Riley, was removed from post while 14 other officers and enlisted personnel with the Air National Guard were berated for their involvement.
