Jack Teixeira, who illegally shared classified documents about the war in Ukraine, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A Boston court has sentenced former US Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira to 15 years in prison for leaking highly classified documents about the conflict in Ukraine.
In March, Teixeira admitted guilt to six charges related to the unauthorized retention and dissemination of national security information under the Espionage Act.
While serving as an airman first class in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Teixeira shared photographs of several classified documents on a private Discord server. These documents included a situation report on the war in Ukraine, as well as detailed information about the training of Ukrainian troops by the US and the delivery of Western military equipment to Kyiv.
The leaks became public in April 2023, causing significant concern in both Kyiv and Washington. “We were blindsided and furious,” an anonymous US official told the Washington Post at the time.
The documents were made public just as Ukraine was preparing for its 2023 summer counteroffensive, which was launched in June and ultimately failed to achieve any significant territorial gains.
Appearing in court on Tuesday, Teixeira expressed remorse for his actions. “I’m sorry for all of the harm that I’ve wrought and that I’ve caused,” he said.
Prosecutors described Teixeira’s actions as “one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history.”
“The harm the defendant caused to national security from his disclosures of national defense information is extraordinary,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing in October. They confirmed in court on Tuesday that the damage from the leaks was “historic.”
Massachusetts acting district attorney, Joshua Levy, said the sentence reflected “the gravity of this conduct and the enduring nature of the harm.”