A 22-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Jack Teixeira, was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison for breaching the Espionage Act by disseminating numerous classified documents via social media. Officials described the incident as a shocking and significant security failure, resulting in disciplinary actions against 15 other service members.

Teixeira pleaded guilty in March to multiple counts related to the unauthorized retention of defense materials, specifically for sharing documents on Discord.

The unauthorized disclosures included sensitive U.S. intelligence regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“The scale of his treachery is astonishing,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy stated in a memo for sentencing addressed to U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani. “The damage he inflicted is beyond measure.”

Prosecutors Call it ‘One of the Most Significant’ Espionage Violations

Prosecutors had sought nearly 17 years—200 months—of imprisonment, while the defense suggested a minimum of 11 years in accordance with the plea deal.

Prosecutors argued that Teixeira’s actions inflicted “exceptionally grave harm” to U.S. national security as he shared the sensitive information “to bolster his ego.”

“Jack Douglas Teixeira committed one of the most significant and harmful violations of the Espionage Act in American history,” the prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo. “The damage he caused to national security through the leaks of defense information is extraordinary.”

Defense Claims Teixeira’s Isolation Influenced His Actions

Teixeira’s public defenders, Brendan Kelley and Michael Bachrach, characterized him as socially isolated and on the autism spectrum, who found companionship online that he was unable to establish in high school.

“He never intended to harm the United States,” the defense argued. “Rather, he sought to enlighten his friends on global events to combat misinformation.”

The case highlighted what many regarded as a startling failure in security protocols.

Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for the National Security Division at the Justice Department, pointed out that Teixeira “recklessly ignored” warnings against sharing some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets, thereby inflicting “profound harms to our national security.” Olsen found the disclosures “stunning to observe.”

Investigation Reveals Serious Supervision Lapses

The Air Force reprimanded 15 National Guard members following a report that uncovered a “lack of appropriate supervision” and a “culture of complacency.”

The inspector general’s study indicated that Teixeira began sharing classified details in February 2022 in a Discord group focused on global affairs. However, he was not reported to the proper security personnel until January 2023.

Meanwhile, Teixeira was seen looking at classified documents on his computer marked “top secret” or “sensitive compartmented information,” but these instances were not officially recorded. He had also been instructed to refrain from taking notes on sensitive materials, yet these occurrences were not promptly reported to the appropriate security personnel.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall emphasized that military personnel, including airmen and National Guard members, have a serious obligation to safeguard classified information and must face consequences for any violations.