Air National Guard leaker Jack Teixeira could face court-martial
Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira could face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Already facing significant time in federal prison, Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira must also appear before a preliminary hearing in a military court to determine if he should go before a special court-martial, the Air Force has confirmed.
In March Teixeira pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information for leaking classified information on private Discord servers to impress an online gaming community. His sentencing has been scheduled for September, and he could receive more than 16 years in prison.
Now Teixeira must also appear before an Article 32 hearing on May 14 on charges of disobeying a direct order and obstruction of justice under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose. Article 32 hearings are the military’s equivalent of civilian grand jury investigations.
“Following close coordination with the Department of Justice, the Air Force determined that separate and distinct charges should be preferred against A1C Jack Teixeira, for alleged misconduct related to his military duties,” an Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose on Thursday.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or OSI, worked with the FBI and provided evidence to military commanders that show Teixeira allegedly violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the spokesperson said.
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Military prosecutors accuse Teixeira of viewing information unrelated to his duties despite an order to do so, and he is also accused of wrongfully disposing of a cell phone, hard drive, and other electronic equipment as well as telling someone else to delete messages that he had sent to Discord ahead of criminal proceedings, according to a redacted copy of the charge sheet against him that was provided to Task & Purpose.
A military officer will decide whether to refer those charges to a special court-martial for trial following the May 14 Article 32 hearing, the Air Force spokesperson said.
The maximum penalties that service members can receive at special courts-martial include one year of confinement, reduction of rank, and a bad conduct discharge.
Prior to his April 2023 arrest, Teixeira was assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing as a cyber transport systems journeyman. The classified information that he is accused of leaking strained U.S. relations with Ukraine, Israel, and South Korea. As a result, the Pentagon took several steps to prevent future data leaks.
A subsequent Air Force Inspector General’s Office investigation into the data breach found that three of Teixeira’s supervisors knew or had seen him breaking rules about secret information, but they decided not to report him.
Following the report, a total of 15 airmen ranging in rank from staff sergeant to colonel were disciplined, including Air Force Col. Sean Riley, Teixeira’s wing commander at the time, who received administrative action and was relieved of command.
Air Force Col. Enrique Dovalo, former commander of the 102d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, also received administrative action but he was not relieved of command because he had already moved into a different job before the data breach was discovered.
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