Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday (November 12) for leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine. The 22-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston.
Teixeira, who remains in the Guard in an unpaid status, was arrested in April 2023 and has been in federal custody since. He began leaking documents about the Ukraine war and other military topics on Discord shortly after receiving a top-secret security clearance in 2021. Prosecutors argued that Teixeira "perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history" and the harm he inflicted on national security was "extraordinary."
Teixeira's lawyers sought the minimum sentence allowed under the plea—11 years—and argued that Teixeira was remorseful for the harm his actions caused. They stated that his "intent was never to harm the United States" but "to educate his friends about world events to make certain they were not misled by misinformation."
Before being sentenced, Teixeira apologized for his actions, saying, "I wanted to say I'm sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused."
"I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring," he added, standing as he addressed the judge.
The leaks forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout and 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.