Jack Teixeira Formally Charged for Leaking Pentagon Documents On Discord
The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that the 21-year-old member of the US Air National Guard (USANG) is facing six counts of retaining and transmitting classified information on a gaming website.
Jack Douglas Teixeira, who was stationed in Massachusetts, was arrested in April but only formally charged by a federal grand jury in Boston on Thursday.
Teixeira, a resident of North Dighton, Massachusetts, faces six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relating to the national defense. He was initially charged with the retention and transmission of national defense information and the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials.
US District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy granted the government’s motion for detention on May 19, and he will remain in federal custody pending his trial.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the severity of the charges, stating, “Teixeira is charged with sharing information with users on a social media platform he knew were not entitled to receive it. In doing so, he is alleged to have violated US law and endangered our national security.”
According to court documents, Teixeira enlisted in the USANG in September 2019 and held a Top Secret security clearance from 2021. The indictment alleges that starting in January 2022, Teixeira willfully and unlawfully retained and transmitted classified National Defense Information, including “TOP SECRET” or “SECRET” information and Sensitive Compartmented Information, on an invite-only Discord social media server.
Teixeira employed two methods to transmit the classified information on the social media platform: first, he allegedly accessed classified documents from a secure workstation at the Otis USANG Base, transcribing and sending the information as written paragraphs; and second, he posted images of classified documents on the platform, complete with standard classification markings.
The documents Teixeira posted expose specifics of the US’ espionage on Russia’s war machine in Ukraine, as well as secret assessments of Ukraine’s fighting capabilities, and intelligence on America’s allies, including South Korea and Israel.
Prosecutors claimed that Teixeira had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder,” including social media posts about wanting to carry out a killing in a public place. He told another user that he planned to convert a vehicle into an “assassination van,” while in another chat he stated he wanted to “kill a [expletive] ton of people” as a manner of “culling the weak-minded.”
The 21-year-old lived in his mother and stepfather’s residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts, and has a weapons locker in his bedroom packed with handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, and an AK-style high-capacity weapon.
The charges of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The FBI is currently leading the investigation into the case, according to the DOJ.
Information for this story was found via DOJ, BBC, The Guardian, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.