'Despicable act.' Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to leaking classified Pentagon documents

Walker Armstrong, Cape Cod Times
·2 min read
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The former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman charged with leaking classified U.S. intelligence material through a social media group chat last spring withdrew his previous guilty plea in a Boston federal court Monday, pleading guilty to all six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.

Jack Teixeira, 22, now faces between 11 and 17 years in prison, said Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy in a Monday press conference.

“Some of the information Mr. Teixeira posted was about troop movements in Ukraine, about the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops,” Levy said. “He also posted information about U.S. adversaries' plans to harm U.S. forces serving abroad, a particularly despicable act.”

As part of his plea, the Justice Department agreed not to charge Teixeira to the fullest extent under the Espionage Act, which would have carried a sentence of 10 years for each of the six charges against him.

Joshua Levy, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, speaks at a press conference, after Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty Monday in Boston. The former U.S. Air National Guardsman based at Joint Base Cape Cod was charged with leaking top secret Pentagon documents online. He pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of willfully retaining and distributing national defense documents under the Espionage Act.

Ties to Cape Cod military base

The former computer technician for the 102nd Intelligence Wing on Joint Base Cape Cod was said to have leaked more than 100 U.S. intelligence documents, according to the Department of Defense. The files contained highly sensitive information tied to the war in Ukraine, including data on military activities such as U.S. drone spy planes in the area, and Ukrainian forces’ use of ammunition.

The leaks and ensuing commotion cast doubts upon the future of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at the Cape Cod base, stirring up uncertainty about the overall future of operations at the base as well.

Recently, an Air Force Inspector General's investigation found a “culture of complacency” and several security procedure failures enabled Teixeira to allegedly obtain and leak the classified material.

Disciplinary measures were taken against 15 members of the Air National Guard as a result of an Air Force investigation, including relieving Commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing Col. Sean Riley from his command, and taking administrative action against Col. Enrique Dovalo, the 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group commander.

Matthew Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said Monday that Teixeira knowingly and willfully disregarded the warnings of leaking classified information, causing damage to U.S. national security and that of U.S. allies abroad.

“To those of us who have spent our careers seeing firsthand the sacrifice and the dedication of our intelligence community and our national security professionals … it has been shocking,” Olsen said. “Shocking to witness the public disclosures that resulted from Mr. Teixeira’s crimes.”

Walker Armstrong reports on all things Cape and Islands, primarily focusing on courts, transportation and the Joint Base Cape Cod military base. Contact him at WArmstrong@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jd__walker.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Former Cape Cod Guardsman Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to Pentagon leak