Jack Teixeira, alleged Pentagon leaker of classified defense documents, indicted on 6 counts

Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
11

WASHINGTON — The Air National Guard member accused of retaining and transmitting classified defense information was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Boston on six charges under the Espionage Act.

Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was arrested in April, and he remains in federal custody. He is charged with six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to national defense, including records about the Russian war against Ukraine and supplies to the battlefield.

The highly sensitive documents, of which there were more than a hundred, provide data on:

  • Military activities, including United States spy planes in the area

  • U.S. officials' perspectives on Ukrainian forces’ training and readiness

  • New estimates on Ukrainian and Russian troops killed and equipment destroyed

“Teixeira is charged with sharing information with users on a social media platform he knew were not entitled to receive it,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “In doing so, he is alleged to have violated U.S. law and endangered our national security.”

Teixeira, who had a top secret clearance and worked at Otis Air National Guard Base, allegedly distributed the documents on social media. He oversaw a private Discord channel called Thug Shaker Central, according to multiple reports. The private chat group was comprised of about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teens.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said people granted security clearances are entrusted to safeguard the country’s secrets.

“The allegations in today’s indictment reveal a serious violation of that trust,” Wray said. “The FBI and our partners remain firm in our commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our national security and the security of our allies around the world.”

Prosecutors argued at Teixeira's detention hearing that he had an “arsenal” of weapons and could flee the country if released from jail, during his detention hearing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Teixeira indicted on 6 counts of leaking classified Pentagon docs