Member of the National Guard of Massachusetts Jack Teixeira was convicted to 15 years in prison for the theft of classified military information. Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of retention and transmission of confidential information about national defense under the Espionage Act.
This occurred only a year after he was arrested for the most serious leak of classified information for many years. A 22-year-old man admitted to illegally obtaining some of the most sensitive state secrets and sharing them with other users in the social network Discord.
Representing the defendant, prosecutors stated that whether Teixeira was delusional or not, he was indifferent to the fact that he jeopardized national security. "This served as a warning for anyone who decides to leak national secrets". Federal prosecutor Jared Dolan stated that 200 months in prison would be an appropriate sentence.
After the announcement of Teixeira's plea agreement, he was called before the court and expressed his remorse. His attorney stated that 11 years in prison is entirely sufficient, taking into account Teixeira's character and personality. The administration of American President Joe Biden has taken measures to eliminate diplomatic and military repercussions of the information leak. Teixeira continues to remain unemployed in the National Guard.
The revealed information raised concerns about the ability of the USA to protect its most classified secrets, and forced the government to take measures. Prosecutors emphasized that Teixeira not only makes illegal decisions but also revealed sensitive information.
Teixeira was an expert in the technical aspects of information security as part of the 102nd Aviation Intelligence Group of the National Guard in Otis, Massachusetts. His attorneys described him as an autistic and withdrawn person who spent most of his time online, especially among the Discord community.
