The DOJ says Teixeira shared classified information online beginning in 2022 and through April of this year, when the air national guardsman was arrested by the FBI.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the indictment that Teixeira was “entrusted by the United States government with access to classified national defense information.”
“The allegations in today’s indictment reveal a serious violation of that trust,” added FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Teixeira, who is under federal custody while he awaits trial, faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the six charges.
A federal judge in Boston ruled last month that Teixeira should be detained, siding with DOJ prosecutors who argued he was a danger to national security.
Teixeira was an IT specialist for the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base.
The DOJ said Teixeira has held a top security clearance since 2021 and began sharing classified information by taking notes before taking and posting images online.
Teixeira is alleged to have shared the information to several online servers on the chat forum site Discord, including one with members from nations across the globe, before the records spilled out to the broader online community in March.
The classified documents detailed U.S. insights into a range of topics, including the affairs of allies, the war in Ukraine, assessments about foreign adversaries and other national security information.
It’s unclear exactly what the motivation was behind sharing the information.
In court documents, the DOJ has provided information alleging Teixeira talked about killing people and had researched mass shootings.
Teixeira was admonished at least twice last year by his superiors for taking notes of classified records or for other “concerning” activity with classified information.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
