Now in custody, the airman is facing serious charges that could land him in prison for decades. If found guilty, he could be seen as a traitor to his country and persecuted by those who believe in tight national security.
Prosecutors allege that Teixeira shared a document with a co-worker that contained sensitive information about an upcoming military operation. The revelation could have jeopardized the safety of troops and posed a security threat. Investigators believe Teixeira may have released the document in order to get attention from his female co-workers.
Even if convicted of only the two counts under the Espionage Act, Teixeira could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The act makes it a felony to disclose national defense information knowing that it could be used to harm the United States or its allies.
Indeed, Teixeira’s access to classified documents and fresh details about the war in Ukraine was not out of the ordinary for his role as a cyber defense operations journeyman. As such, it seems that he had access to sensitive information that he should have been careful about sharing with anyone outside of authorized channels.
Teixeira was identified as a possible suspect after members of the Discord server where he and his online friends bonded over an interest in guns, racist memes and gaming were interviewed by the FBI. One user on the Discord server who had previously spoken to the Times about Teixeira said that he had no knowledge of any violent or terrorist threats made towards other users.
The FBI’s investigation into Teixeira began after they obtained billing information from Discord, where he had used his real name and an address in North Dighton, Massachusetts. Acting on this information, the FBI arrested Teixeira on April 12th at his home in Massachusetts. This arrest is believed to be the culmination of a two-year investigation that began when federal investigators learned of the secret documents he had shared on Discord using his real name and address.
Discord has a strict policy against sharing classified documents on the platform, but this doesn’t stop users from engaging in illegal activities. In fact, it may actually encourage such behavior. The anonymous nature of Discord allows people to communicate without fear of retribution or legal prosecution, which makes it an ideal platform for criminal activity.
The company’s announcement comes on the heels of a months-long investigation by The Wall Street Journal, which uncovered how the Chinese government was using an app called FireEye to hack into companies and spy on their employees.
FireEye has been among the leading providers of malware detection and intrusion prevention software for businesses, but it is now being scrutinized for its role in helping China spy.
The airman’s search of classified intelligence reports for the word “leak” may have been an attempt to identify who had leaked the documents. If so, this would be one potential way that the military could investigate who was responsible for the leak.
The cache of documents that was shared on Discord and later published online did not stay hidden for long. It is believed that the posts began in December 2022, first appearing in text form and later as photos of sensitive documents. These photos included current military intelligence on the operation in Ukraine, including troop movements, and documents that point to U.S. surveillance of allies like South Korea, among other sensitive topics.
Numerous federal and international agencies are currently investigating the source of the classified information that has been leaked onto popular social media sites. Various tools have been used to try and find the culprit, including Discord chat logs, Reddit posts, and even YouTube videos. While no concrete evidence has yet been found linking anyone to the leak, it is still unknown who is responsible for sending sensitive information across platforms.
