Man pleads guilty to leaking classified government documents on Discord

A US Air National Guardsman has pleaded guilty to leaking classified government documents on Discord and is facing years in prison when sentenced.

Back in April 2023, classified government documents were leaked online with many believing they came from a Minecraft-focused Discord server.

Police quickly arrested Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard on charges related to the leak, but news surrounding the situation went stale.

Until March 4, 2024, that is, as Jack has pleaded guilty to the crime and may face over 16 years in prison if sentenced.

Man pleads guilty to leaking classified documents

In a report from Reuters, Teixeira admitted wrongdoing in federal court after striking a plea deal with prosecutors.

With the deal, the prosecutors plan on asking the judge to sentence Jack to over 16 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said at a press conference that the plea “brings a measure of closure to a chapter that created profound harms for our nation’s security.”

The Guardsman pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information that he allegedly shared to his friends in a Discord server.

According to Reuters, Jack shared classified information over a Discord server while bragging that he had access to stuff for Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran, and China.”

“He is significantly remorseful for his conduct,” said Michael Bachrach, Jack’s lawyer.

This isn’t the first instance of a major government leak happening through an online service, either. Tank combat game War Thunder has dealt with players leaking classified tank information on its forums.

It’s happened so many times that developers of the game have taken to begging leakers to stop.