Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who pleaded guilty to leaking classified military documents about the Russia-Urkaine war, as well as other secrets, will face charges from the U.S. Air Force for his crimes.
The U.S. Air Force is preparing additional charges against Teixeira, which will be presented during a hearing at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts in May.
Teixeira pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of retaining and transmitting classified national defense information in March, accepting a 16-year prison sentence. As part of the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with further violations of the Espionage Act.
Teixeira also agreed to sit for a debriefing with members of the intelligence community, Department of Defense, or Department of Justice, and turn over any classified materials that may still be in his possession.
JACK TEIXEIRA PLEADS GUILTY TO LEAKING PENTAGON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
But now, the Air Force is seeking charges for alleged misconduct related to the Airman First Class’s (AIC) military duties, a spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force told Fox News.
“As A1C, Teixeira was on Title 10 active-duty orders during the charged timeframe; he is subject to both criminal prosecution with the Department of Justice and the United States Air Force under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ),” the spokesperson said. “The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and provided evidence to the command that demonstrates A1C Teixeira committed violations of the UCMJ.”
The Air Force is looking to charge Teixeira with two violations of the UCMJ.
WHO IS JACK TEIXEIRA, THE AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMEN BEHIND LEAKED CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS?
Under the first violation, Teixeira is accused of knowing of a lawful order issued against him to cease and desist from accessing information not pertaining to his duties. Despite the order he was required to obey as part of his duty, Teixeira allegedly continued to look at information unrelated to his duties between September 2022 and April 13, 2023.
The second charge alleges Teixeira disposed of evidence during two different instances.
In the first instance, between March 1, 2023, and April 13, 2023, the Air Force alleges that Teixeira disposed of an iPad, computer hard drive and cell phone to intentionally obstruct justice in the case against him.
PENTAGON DOCUMENT LEAK HAS IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON NATIONAL SECURITY: SUCKS UP ‘A LOT OF OXYGEN’
The second instance happened around April 7, 2023, and the Air Force claims Teixeira directed another person to delete discord messages sent to Teixeira, also to intentionally obstruct justice.
A commander reviewed the evidence against Teixeira and determined charges should be filed under UCMJ, the spokesperson told Fox News.
“These charges will be sent to an Article 32, UMJ hearing where a neutral and detached officer will examine whether the evidence is sufficient to refer the charges to trial by courts-martial,” the spokesperson said.
The hearing is scheduled to take place on May 14, 2024, at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
US MILITARY ‘OUT OF TIME’ IN PUSH AGAINST ADVERSARIES’ MODERNIZATION, AIR FORCE SECRETARY SAYS
Teixeira was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, where he worked as a “cyber transport systems specialist.” He held the highest level of security clearance granted by the federal government for top secret information.
Authorities say Teixeira started sharing classified documents on the online social platform Discord with a private group called “Thug Shaker Central” that consisted of roughly 20 to 30 young men.
The leaked documents mainly concern Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also include intelligence on China, the Middle East, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and world leaders.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
