BOSTON � A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air
National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to
leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful
retention and transmission of national defense information under the
Espionage Act following his arrest in the most consequential national
security case in years. Brought into court wearing an orange jumpsuit,
he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge
Indira Talwani.

Before being sentenced, he apologized for his actions.

�I wanted to say I�m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused,�
Teixeira said, referencing the �maelstrom� he caused. �I understand all
the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and
accept whatever that will bring,� he said, standing as he addressed the
judge.

Afterward, Teixeira hugged one of his attorneys and looked towards his
family and smiled before being led out of court.

The security breach raised alarm over America�s ability to protect its
most closely guarded secrets and forced the Biden administration to
scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout. The
leaks embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard
classified information and disciplined members found to have
intentionally failed to take required action about Teixeira�s suspicious
behavior.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, speaking at a post-sentencing news
conference, said Teixeira �has paid a very heavy price for the laws he
broke and the damaged he caused.�

He added that Teixeira violated his position of trust and repeatedly
made the �deliberate choice� to divulge classified information week
after week. �He was callous to the fact that he put our national
security at risk,� Levy added, warning the sentence stands as a
deterrent to any who might think of leaking national secrets.

�Anyone who willfully threatens national security by illegally
disseminating classified information will face serious repercussions,�
he said.

Earlier in court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan told Talwani that
200 months � or a little more than 16 1/2 years � was appropriate given
the �historic� damage caused by Teixeira�s conduct that aided
adversaries of the United States and hurt the country�s allies. He also
said that recommendation by prosecutors would send a message to anyone
in the military who might consider similar conduct.

�It will be a cautionary tale for the men and women in the U.S.
military,� Dolan said. �They are going to be told this is what happens
if you break your promise, if you betray your country � They will know
the defendant�s name. They will know the sentence the court imposes.�

But Teixeira�s attorney Michael Bachrach told the judge Tuesday that 11
years was sufficient.

�It is a significant, harsh and difficult sentence, one that will not be
easy to serve,� Bachrach said. �It will serve as an extreme deterrent to
anyone, particularly young servicemen. That is enough to keep them
deterred from committing serious conduct.�

Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, had pleaded guilty in March
to six counts of the willful retention and transmission of national
defense information under the Espionage Act. That came nearly a year
after he was arrested in the most consequential national security leak
in years.

The 22-year-old admitted that he illegally collected some of the
nation�s most sensitive secrets and shared them with other users on the
social media platform Discord.

When Teixeira pleaded guilty, prosecutors said they would seek a prison
term at the high end of the sentencing range. But the defense wrote in
their sentencing memorandum earlier that the 11 years �would be
essentially equal to half the life that Jack has lived thus far.�

His attorneys had described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual
who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord
community. They said his actions, though criminal, were never meant to
�harm the United States.� He also had no prior criminal record.

�Instead, his intent was to educate his friends about world events to
make certain they were not misled by misinformation,� the attorneys
wrote. �To Jack, the Ukraine war was his generation�s World War II or
Iraq, and he needed someone to share the experience with.�

Prosecutors in court filings countered that Teixeira did not suffer from
any intellectual disability that would prevent him from knowing right
from wrong, adding his post-arrest diagnosis of �mild, high-functioning�
autism was of �questionable relevance� to the proceedings.
Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air
National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport
systems specialist, which is essentially an information technology
specialist responsible for military communications networks. He remains
in the Air National Guard in an unpaid status, an Air Force official
said.

Authorities said he first typed out classified documents he accessed and
then began sharing photographs of files that bore SECRET and TOP SECRET
markings. Prosecutors also said he tried to cover his tracks before his
arrest, and authorities found a smashed tablet, laptop and an Xbox
gaming console in a dumpster at his house.

The leak exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia�s
war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine,
and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops.
Teixeira also admitted posting information about a U.S. adversary�s
plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/11/12/pentagon-secrets-leaker-teixeira-
gets-15-years-in-prison/