Guardsman is sentenced to 15 years in prison after leaking classified information on Discord • The Register

A former Air National Guard member who stole classified American military secrets and showed them to his gaming friends on Discord has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Jack Teixeira, 22, enlisted in September 2019 and served with the 102nd Intelligence Wing as a cyber defense operations journeyman at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts until his arrest last year.

After settling into his role, he began watching material that was above his intelligence level and then sharing it via the chat app. The material included US and NATO plans to assist Ukraine, information about British and US personnel helping the Ukrainians, and details of a Chinese drone program.

“The documents and information Teixeira posts on social media are strictly confidential and contain important national defense information,” prosecutors wrote [PDF] in a memo to the courts regarding Teixeira’s preferred sentencing.

“By posting intelligence information on the social media platform Discord to feed his own ego and impress his anonymous friends, Teixeira caused extraordinary harm to the national security of the United States. The extent of his betrayal is breathtaking. The amount of damage he has caused is immeasurable.”

Teixeira admitted to investigators that he saw and stole secrets during the day by looking up and writing down key details and smuggling them off the base to share online. Later, he simply printed out classified files using “an isolated and rarely used printer,” prosecutors found.

When he wasn’t at work, Teixeira was an avid gamer and ran his own Discord server with around 25 members. It apparently wasn’t a particularly fun place to be – the group regularly discussed mass killings, talked about carrying out assassinations and “weeding out the weak”, the courts were told. Eventually, Teixeira began publishing snippets of secret government information for bragging rights.

He knew this was illegal because as part of his regular training he signed various documents stating that he understood the classification rules and the possible penalties. He even joked about it on Discord. On March 15, 2022, a Teixeira employee asked if he could publish information about troop losses in Ukraine. Teixeira replied: “If I want to go to prison for the rest of my life, yes.”

When one of the Discord group also brought up his military oath, Teixeira was dismissive, writing: “No oath, an NDA… The oath is only to defend America against all threats and to follow orders,” the statement said of FBI Special Agent Luke Church.

The game was over when some of the documents appeared elsewhere on the Internet – first in other Discord groups, then on 4chan, and then even further afield. Worse, they appeared to have been altered, with one version overstating expected Ukrainian deaths and understating Russian casualties.

When the media picked up on the leaks, Teixeira became nervous. He asked everyone to delete any material before shutting down the server and deleting his account. He then destroyed his hard drives and other computer equipment – some of which were found in a trash can behind his house. His arrest came in April 2023 after Discord handed over his address.

He has since admitted six counts of intentionally storing and disclosing classified information related to national defense. On Tuesday, a federal court in Boston sentenced the 22-year-old to 15 years in prison plus three years of probation.

“This conviction is a stark warning to all those entrusted with protecting national defense information: If you betray that trust, you will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

“Jack Teixeira’s criminal conduct has placed our nation, our troops and our allies in grave danger. The FBI will continue to work diligently with our partners to protect classified information and ensure that those who turn their backs on their country face justice.” ®