Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 22-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard from North Dighton, Massachusetts, will plead guilty to illegally holding and sharing classified defense information on social media from 2022 until his arrest in April 2023, officials announced Monday.
He faces six federal charges for knowingly keeping and sending this sensitive information.
The charges of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information each carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to authorities.
“Mr. Teixeira exploited his Top-Secret security clearance to share our nation’s secrets on a social media platform. He violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend and, in doing so, he undermined our national security and risked the safety of Americans serving overseas and our allies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “Every instance of mishandling classified information weakens our defense and compromises our ability to thwart potential threats. We cannot afford to underestimate the gravity of this conduct; it has far-reaching consequences that transcend individual interests.”
(ABC News Report 2024)
“Today, Jack Teixeira admitted he retained and disclosed classified national security information, actions that benefit our nation’s adversaries and harm U.S. security,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Individuals granted security clearances are entrusted with protecting our nation’s most sensitive secrets, and Teixeira knowingly betrayed that trust and put the country at risk. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable anyone who would endanger our national security interests.”
Teixeira was arrested in April 2023 for illegally holding and sharing classified defense information, as well as for unauthorized possession of classified documents.
A federal grand jury in Boston indicted him in June 2023, and he has been in federal custody since his arrest.
Teixeira joined the U.S. Air National Guard in September 2019 and had a Top-Secret clearance since 2021. He is accused of sharing highly classified information, marked as “TOP SECRET,” “SECRET,” or Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), on social media with unauthorized users starting around January 2022, according to officials.
He reportedly took this information from a classified computer at the Otis Air National Guard Base, wrote it down, and posted it online, including images of the classified documents, which clearly showed they contained top-secret U.S. government information, officials stated.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini, Jared C. Dolan and Jason A. Casey for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Christina A. Clark of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.