Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified documents has been indicted

Jack Texeira, the Air National Guard member who was arrested in April for sharing documents containing US intelligence matters, has been indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified national defense information. According to The New York Times, Texeira was indicted by a federal grand jury and now faces up to 60 years in prison. His 10-page indictment reportedly contained a distilled version of the national secrets Texeira allegedly took from the Cape Cod air base and shared with people on Discord. 

The Justice Department arrested Texeira in April in connection with its investigation on the “alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information.” While previous reports said he shared national secrets using a pseudonym on Discord, he was identified through the Instagram account he linked to his Steam profile. The photos on that account showed the same granite kitchen countertop and floor tiles that were also visible in the leaks. 

According to the 10-page indictment documents, Texeira mishandled classified information that included details on the delivery of military equipment to Ukraine, as well as details on Russian and Ukrainian troop movements. He also reportedly leaked documents showing how the US spies on its foreign allies. Some of the documents he shared with the public had markings to show that they had the most highly restricted classification and could only be viewed inside a protected facility. 

Previous reports said Texeira didn’t intend to become a whistleblower and only started sharing documents to impress his gaming friends. He started by copying sensitive information by hand, since he worked at a facility that prohibited cameras and phones, but was eventually able to post photos of original documents. Since he was arrested, prosecutors presented his history of making violent and racist threats to court. The Justice Department’s national security division also argued for his indefinite detention, because he could still be in possession of information that would be “tremendous value to hostile nation-states.” In addition, the Justice Department has revealed that Air Force officials failed to remove Texeira from his job and to take appropriate action after catching him copying sensitive details and actively looking for classified information months before he was arrested. 

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