Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira to face navy justice continuing
WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts Air Nationwide Guard member Jack Teixeira, who pleaded responsible to federal prison costs for leaking extremely categorised navy paperwork concerning the war in Ukraine and different nationwide safety secrets and techniques, will face a navy justice continuing later this month, officers mentioned Wednesday.
Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, faces two costs within the navy justice system, together with obstructing justice and failing to obey a lawful order, Air Power officers mentioned. Prosecutors will current proof through the navy continuing on Might 14 at Hanscom Air Power Base in Massachusetts. The case may then transfer to a court-martial, if it’s decided that there’s ample proof of the fees.
The navy continuing comes almost two months after Teixeira pleaded guilty in federal courtroom to 6 counts of willful retention and transmission of nationwide protection info beneath the Espionage Act. That was near a yr after he was arrested in probably the most consequential nationwide safety leak in years.
In courtroom, he admitted illegally gathering a few of the nation’s most delicate secrets and techniques and sharing them with different customers on Discord, a social media platform fashionable with folks enjoying on-line video games.
Teixeira, who was a part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air Nationwide Guard Base in Massachusetts, labored as a cyber transport techniques specialist, basically an info expertise specialist accountable for navy communications networks.
A spokesperson for Teixeira’s household mentioned that they had no remark Wednesday and his attorneys in his prison case didn’t instantly reply to an electronic mail.
The beautiful safety breach raised alarm over America’s skill to guard its most intently guarded secrets and techniques and compelled the Biden administration to scramble to attempt to comprise diplomatic and navy fallout. The leaks embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard categorised info and disciplined members discovered to have deliberately didn’t take required motion about Teixeira’s suspicious conduct.
Authorities mentioned he first typed out categorised paperwork he accessed after which started sharing pictures of recordsdata that bore SECRET and TOP SECRET markings. Prosecutors additionally mentioned he tried to cowl his tracks earlier than his arrest, and authorities discovered a smashed pill, laptop computer and Xbox gaming console in a dumpster at his home.
The leak uncovered to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, together with details about troop actions in Ukraine and the supply of provides and tools to Ukrainian troops. Teixeira additionally admitted posting details about a U.S. adversary’s plans to hurt U.S. forces serving abroad.
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Related Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
