In the United States, the accused of leaking classified data about Russia’s war against Ukraine was sentenced to 15 years
Massachusetts National Guard soldier Jack Teixeira, accused of leaking classified Pentagon military documents about Russia’s war against Ukraine, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, informs Associated Press.
Teixeira did not react to the announcement of the sentence by the US District Judge. In March, he pleaded guilty to six counts of knowingly storing and transmitting data related to national defense.
Prosecutors said the leak posed a threat to national security, put U.S. military personnel at risk and damaged relations with allies.
An assistant U.S. attorney previously proposed a prison term of nearly 17 years, given Teixeira’s significant harm, which prosecutors say was aiding and abetting adversaries and harming U.S. partners.
Defense attorneys argued for an 11-year sentence, arguing that Teixeira’s actions, while illegal, were not intended to harm the United States and that the defendant himself had no prior criminal record.
Teixeira was detained in April 2023, after photocopies of classified Pentagon documents appeared on social media, revealing confidential information about assessments of the situation in the war in Ukraine, including data on troop movements and logistical support of Ukrainian forces.
The 22-year-old defendant previously admitted to collecting and sharing some of the state’s most sensitive secrets with users of the Discord platform.
