Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira hit with two federal charges

April 14, 2023

The Air National Guardsman accused of leaking a trove of classified US documents was hauled to court Friday on federal charges — telling his dad he loved him during the brief hearing.

Jack Teixeira appeared in a Boston court where he was officially charged with unauthorized detention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. The charges carry sentences of up to 10 and five years, respectively.

The 21-year-old – who was shackled and wearing prison khakis – was ordered to be held until a detention hearing next Wednesday.

Teixeira was arrested by heavily armed federal agents outside his North Dighton, Mass. home on Thursday following a weeklong probe into the spilling of secret government records online.

He is alleged to have accessed the highly classified materials through his guardsman position and then shared it with members of the private Discord chat group that he was in charge of earlier this year.

The classified materials, which included battlefield information related to the war in Ukraine, were eventually posted on other social media channels before spreading like wildfire.

An undated picture shows Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard, who was arrested by the FBI, over his alleged involvement in leaks online of classified documents, posing for a selfie at an unidentified location. Social Media Website/via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS- THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES — The 21-year-old gained access to the highly sensitive documents through his position as a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman.

Pentagon leaked documents. — Teixeira is alleged to have sent the classified documents to a group of people in a gaming forum from last year until recently.

Teixeira didn’t enter a formal plea during Friday’s proceedings and only responded quietly when the judge informed him of his rights.

During the hearing, his father shouted out “I love you, Jack.” Teixeira did not turn around but replied “I love you dad,” Fox News reported.

An internal document seen by the network shows that Teixeira’s access to government systems and security clearance has been revoked in the wake of his arrest.

Family members of Teixeira left the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse after his arraignment.

A courtroom sketch showing Teixeira making his initial appearance before a federal judge in Boston. — A courtroom sketch shows Teixeira making his initial appearance before a federal judge in Boston.

Security guards walk the by the entrance to the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 14, 2023. - Jack Teixeira, 21, an employee of the US Air Force National Guard, was due to appear at the federal court on Friday, authorities said, after he was arrested on suspicion of leaking a trove of sensitive US government secrets. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) — Security guards walk the by the entrance to the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, in Boston.

According to an affidavit unsealed Friday, Discord’s billing records and interviews with another user helped the FBI identify Teixeira as the alleged leaker.

The user, who isn’t identified in the affidavit, told the feds that a Discord username linked to Teixeira started posting what appeared to be classified information around December.

Teixeira, who had allegedly initially typed out the documents to share with his online pals, started taking them home and photographing them because he was “concerned that he may be discovered making the transcriptions of text in the workplace,” the affidavit says.

Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman. - PENTAGON DOC LEAKS — Teixeira’s next appearance is set for April 19, according to the US attorney’s office.

Meanwhile, a member of Teixeira’s Discord channel told the New York Times that he’d made an emotional final call to his friends just before his arrest, in which he told them: “I never wanted it to get like this. I prayed to God that this would never happen. And I prayed and prayed and prayed. Only God can decide what happens from now on.”

Teixeira joined the National Guard in Sept. 2019 where his occupation was listed as a Cyber Transport Systems Journeyman, responsible for the upkeep of hardware for military communications networks, including cabling and hubs.

Here’s what we know about Jack Teixeira and the leaked docs

Who is Teixeira?

A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, an enlisted member of the 102nd Intelligence Wing located at Joint Base Cape Cod.

Why was he arrested?

The arrest came after Teixeira was identified as a person of interest in the case, which was opened last week when some of the shared documents were discovered on Russian Telegram channels.

Reports indicate Teixeira was a prominent figure in the “Thug Shakers Central” Discord group, where the documents initially appeared.

What information is in the leaked documents?

The classified documents from the Department of Defense contained key information about America’s espionage efforts against Russia, as well as details about Ukraine’s military planning.

How were the documents leaked?

The classified pages were disseminated on the small Discord channel Thug Shaker Central, linked to fans of the YouTuber Oxide.

Learn more about the leaks and the channel Thug Shaker Central

Prior to his arrest, he was stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Cape Cod.

Teixeira’s next appearance is set for April 19, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.