Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who admitted guilt to multiple federal crimes for leaking sensitive information online, is set to undergo military criminal proceedings this month for alleged violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as confirmed by an Air Force spokesperson.
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, a spokesperson revealed that the Air Force has decided to bring forth separate charges against A1C Jack Teixeira. This decision came after close collaboration with the Department of Justice and is in relation to alleged misconduct associated with his military duties.
According to a spokesperson, the military charges outlined in a document include failure to follow a lawful order and obstructing justice.
According to the Air Force, Teixeira is accused of disobeying an order to stop accessing information that was not related to his duties. This alleged incident took place at or near Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts between September 15, 2022, and April 13, 2023. Instead of focusing on his assigned tasks, Teixeira continued to view information that was unrelated to his duties.
Between approximately March 1 and April 13, 2023, Teixeira allegedly got rid of an iPad, computer hard drive, and cellphone. The charge claims that he did this with the intention of obstructing the due administration of justice in his own case, believing that there were or would be criminal proceedings against him.
According to the Air Force, Teixeira is accused of instructing someone else to delete Discord messages he had sent on or around April 7, 2023, with the intention of obstructing the administration of justice in his own case.
These charges will be presented at an Article 32, Uniform Code of Military Justice hearing. At this hearing, a neutral and unbiased officer will carefully assess the evidence to determine if it is substantial enough to proceed with a trial by courts-martial, stated the spokesperson.
The hearing will be held on May 14 at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
Teixeira faced indictment from a federal grand jury last year on six charges of deliberately retaining and transmitting classified information concerning national defense.
The defendant admitted his guilt on all six charges and consented to a 16-year jail term in March. In return, the prosecution agreed not to levy any further charges against him under the Espionage Act. The sentencing for this case is scheduled for September 27.
In March, an official from the defense confirmed to ABC News that Teixeira, who is still on active duty in the Air Force, may face military charges once the civilian criminal charges have been resolved. Since Teixeira is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, he was placed on Title 10 active duty status in the Air Force, which will determine if he should be subjected to military criminal charges as well.
According to federal prosecutors, Teixeira was able to access and print numerous classified documents, which he then proceeded to share on Discord before being apprehended in April 2023.
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