Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School
Portuguese descendant Jack Teixeira, 22, was sentenced this Tuesday to 15 years in prison for leaking information from the Pentagon.
A US federal judge sentenced the 15 years in prison Jack Teixeiraa member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who pleaded guilty to disclosure of classified Pentagon information.
the 22-year-old Portuguese descendant admitted to having illegally collected some of the most sensitive secrets in the United States and shared them on the social network Discord.
Prosecutors had originally asked for a 17-year sentence for Teixeira, saying he “perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history”.
As detailed by , while working at an Air National Guard base, Teixeira obtained materials that included maps, satellite images and information about US allies – namely about .
Asking for a more lenient sentence, Teixeira’s lawyers argued that the Portuguese descendant was a victim of bullying during secondary education and in his military unit and who suffered from isolation.
However, the Public Ministry did not give in to such arguments, arguing that “Teixeira knew the risk to his country and did it anyway”, in a group where he frequently spoke about .
“You are young and you have a future in front of you, but this is a very serious crime“, said the judge, addressing Jack Teixeira.
Teixeira apologized to the court and said he understood that “all responsibility and consequences fall solely on my shoulders”,
According to reporters present at the Boston court, cited by the BBC, Teixeira apologized to the court and said he understood that all responsibility and consequences fall on their shoulders.
Teixeira joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard, an Air Force reserve, in 2019. In that role, he obtained top secret security clearance and signed a “lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement” which stipulates that “unauthorized disclosure of protected information may result in criminal charges.”
Jack’s grandfather is Azorean, born in São Miguel. However, the young man does not have dual nationality.
