Air National Guardsman accused of leaking hundreds of documents indicted

A federal grand jury indicted the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of leaking hundreds of highly classified Pentagon documents on Thursday.

Jack Teixeira was indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman was arrested on April 13 following a manhunt into who had leaked the documents, and a judge granted the prosecution’s motion to keep him behind bars while awaiting trial on May 19.

“The unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified information jeopardizes our nation’s security. Individuals granted access to classified materials have a fundamental duty to safeguard the information for the safety of the United States, our active service members, its citizens and its allies,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said on Thursday. “We are committed to ensuring that those entrusted with sensitive national security information adhere to the law.”