National Guard leaker receives 15-year prison term after sharing military secrets on Discord

Mess around and find out: Espionage has never been easier than it is in the digital age. Who needs dead drops when you have various encrypted lines of communication like Telegram or Signal? However, just because it’s easy doesn’t mean the risk of getting caught is lower. A National Guard member discovered this the hard way after sharing classified information with his friends on Discord.

A Massachusetts Air National Guard member was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for leaking classified information and documents on Discord. Airman First Class Jack Teixeira was a cyber transport systems specialist in the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis National Air Guard Base. This position required him to have Top Secret clearance.

He shared information regarding the continuing conflict in Ukraine with friends on his Discord server. Initially, Teixeira just transcribed the classified records manually into the chat. However, he eventually uploaded scanned Secret and Top Secret documents to the server.

Federal prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of 16.5 years due to the severity of the 14 months of leaks and the damage they caused. Fox News notes that the security breach sent the Biden administration into panic mode as it tried to contain the damage to diplomatic and military relations – the Pentagon disciplined staff members who failed to report Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.

Teixeira’s defense team argued for a lighter sentence of 11 years, pointing out that the defendant was “autistic and isolated” during the time he was leaking classified information. They claimed he was not maliciously sharing information with foreign powers but just wanted to “educate his friends about world events.” The documents served as proof that he was not spreading misinformation.

The prosecution countered that Teixeira’s pre-trial evaluation diagnosing him with “high-functioning” autism (likely Asperger’s Syndrome) was of “questionable relevance” to the hearing and did not impede his judgment of right and wrong.

The Discord server “Thug Shaker Central” hosted 20-30 members who referred to Teixeira as “OG” because he served as a father figure to the group even though he was only 21 at the time. One member said that OG was in no way aligned with Russia or any other foreign power.

“Any claims that claims that he is a Russian operative or pro-Russian is categorically false [sic],” one group member told Fox. “He is not interested in helping any foreign agencies with their attack on the US or other countries.”

Teixeira opened the sentencing hearing by apologizing for his actions.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused,” he stated. “I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring.”

Teixeira remained stoic as US District Judge Indira Talwani handed down the 15-year sentence. The defendant copped a plea to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to pursue further violations of the act.

During the sentencing, Assistant US Attorney Jared Dolan argued that a severe punishment was warranted, citing the “historic” level of harm Teixeira’s actions had inflicted on the nation’s security and its allies.

“They are going to be told this is what happens if you break your promise, if you betray your country,” Dolan said, urging a sentence that would deter similar actions within the US military.

Teixeira still faces a court-martial scheduled for March 2025, where he will likely receive a dishonorable discharge at the very least.