The Air National Guardsman charged with the most damaging intelligence disclosures in a decade lost his bid for bail in a case that a federal magistrate judge said “smacks of a spy novel” and the 21-year-old will remain jailed while he awaits trial.
US prosecutors had argued that Jack Teixeira is a threat to national security and that releasing him would be too risky in light of what they described as his history of deceitful actions.
The government said it learned after Teixeira was arrested that he tried to cover his tracks by destroying computer equipment and warning an online gaming associate to delete their messages and not talk to investigators. Prosecutors also said Teixeira had an arsenal of weapons in his bedroom and that many of the 40,000 messages he posted in an online platform in recent months were disturbing.
US Magistrate Judge David Hennessy said during a hearing Friday that the record shows a “profound breach” of Teixeira’s promises to protect U.S. secrets.
“I understand it smacks of a spy novel or something but I honestly think the government has the better argument here” for detention, the judge said. He agreed with prosecutors’ claim that Teixeira could be courted by foreign governments if he was released.
Hennessy also cited Teixeira’s “fascination with guns” and his destruction of his phone and other electronics. There’s nothing wrong with an interest in guns, the judge noted, but “there appears to be an unhealthy component to that” in Teixeira’s case, the magistrate judge said.
Teixeira’s attorneys had denied he is a flight risk and the Office of Probation and Pretrial Services supported bail for him under certain restrictions.
Teixeira remained stoic during the hearing. His wore a bright orange prison uniform and his head is now shaved since his last court appearance. He nodded at his father and other family members who were seated in the front row of the courtroom. His attorney, Brendan Kelley, declined to comment after the hearing.
The airman was arrested April 13 and charged with illegally accessing and disseminating classified national defense information. The materials he is accused of taking include sensitive battlefield information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and revelations that the US eavesdropped on allies such as South Korea.
He faces as long as 25 years in prison if convicted, according to the government.
The case is US v. Teixeira, 23-mj-04293, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Worcester).
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