Alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira appears ready to plead guilty

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Alleged Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira to Plead Guilty

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Accused Pentagon leaker to change plea to guilty: court documents

Newsweek

Prosecutors Want Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira to Serve 17 Years in Prison

US prosecutors will seek a nearly 17-year prison sentence for Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who admitted leaking highly classified military secrets on Discord, a messaging and communication platform popular with gamers.

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Teixeira, who was a cyber transport systems specialist for the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, was arrested in April 2023 after he was identified as the leaker. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to six counts under the Espionage Act for wilful retention and transmission of national defense information.

In a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday, prosecutors recommended a 200-month sentence — equivalent to 16 years and eight months — arguing that Teixeira "perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history."

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"The defendant took an oath to defend the United States and to protect its secrets — secrets that are vital to US national security and the physical safety of Americans serving overseas," the filing continued. "Teixeira violated his oath, almost every day, for over a year," adding that this was "a profound breach of trust that had enormous consequences."

Meanwhile, lawyers for Teixeira, now 22, argued that an 11-year sentence would be more appropriate. "His conduct was clearly wrong and misguided, but his motives and decisions were naïve, not nefarious," the lawyers wrote, adding that he was a youthful offender that had his whole life ahead of him.

BostonGlobe.com

The lawyers said that an 11-year prison term "would provide more than enough time for him to grow and mature; informed by his behavior as well as from his punishment." The sentencing hearing was scheduled for Nov. 12 and will be presided over by US District Judge Indira Talwani.

Prosecutors Seek 17-Year Sentence for Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira

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Prosecutors Seek 17-Year Sentence for Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira

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