Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison by a federal judge

Boston
AP
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A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transfer of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest in the most high-profile national security case in years. He was arraigned in an orange jumpsuit and showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by US District Judge Indira Talwani.

Earlier in the hearing, he apologized to the judge.

Prosecutors had originally requested a 17-year sentence for Teixeira, saying he “committed one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history.”

Defense lawyers had requested an 11-year sentence. In their sentencing memo, they acknowledged that their client “made a terrible decision that he repeated over 14 months,” but argued that Teixeira’s actions, while criminal, were never intended to “harm the United States.” He also had no previous criminal record.

The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its best-guarded secrets and forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout.