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| Undated photo of Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21-year-old member of the US Air National Guard arrested by the FBI for alleged involvement in illegal leaks Social Network via REUTERS |
Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified documents online, is expected to plead guilty to federal charges. The prosecutors in Boston have requested a Rule 11 hearing to discuss this change of plea, scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. Teixeira, arrested at age 21, faces six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to national defense. It remains unclear which charge he will plead guilty to or the specifics of any deal with prosecutors.
Teixeira, held in federal custody since April, could face decades in prison if convicted. However, plea deals usually involve a lower potential prison time, though the final sentence is determined by a judge. Teixeira, a junior enlisted airman in the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, was warned by superiors about accessing classified intelligence. Despite this, he allegedly began posting documents online in December 2022 and photos in January 2023 on Discord, a social media platform.
The leaked documents, some reviewed by CNN, contained highly classified information, including intelligence on allies and adversaries and assessments of the Russia-Ukraine war. Law enforcement quickly launched a search for the leaker’s identity after discovering the leak. Teixeira allegedly destroyed his electronics and changed his phone number and email address after the leak was publicized. He was arrested at his home in Massachusetts about a week later.