The plea comes after Teixeira agreed to a deal with prosecutors over last year's leak of classified U.S. military documents.
A Massachusetts Air National Guard member has pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents online, in one of the most serious national security breaches the United States has experienced in recent years.
Jack Teixeira, 22, made his plea Monday in federal court in Boston. This comes after he reached an agreement with prosecutors for a prison sentence of 11 to nearly 17 years.
According to the agreement, prosecutors will seek a sentence at the high end of that range of 16 years and eight months.
Mr. Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of knowingly retaining and transmitting classified information relating to national defense. He withdrew his previous not guilty plea in June.
The charges stem from last year's leak of records related to the Ukraine war and other national security secrets. The confidential recordings were shared on the messaging app Discord and gained worldwide media attention in April.
The leak prompted US President Joe Biden's administration to rush to assure allies that Washington could protect national security secrets.
Until his arrest in mid-April, Teixeira was an Airman 1st Class at Otis Air National Guard Base, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He served as a journeyman in cyber defense operations or as an information technology support specialist.
He holds top secret classified information and began accessing hundreds of classified documents starting in January 2022.
To share the contents of the recording, Teixeira first typed out a copy and then posted it online, authorities said. He then took photos of the files, some of which were marked “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET.”
The leaked documents contain highly classified information about allies and adversaries, with details ranging from military movements in Ukraine to information about Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
In exchange for Teixeira's guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to charge him with further Espionage Act violations.
As part of the deal, Teixeira must participate in a briefing on the breach with members of the intelligence community and the Department of Defense and Justice Department.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Sept. 27 and said she would decide then whether to formally accept the deal.
