A Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of posting secret intelligence reports online agreed to plead guilty on Monday in exchange for a sentence of up to about 16 years in prison and a pledge to comprehensively brief officials on what he leaked.
The airman, Jack Teixeira, withdrew his not-guilty plea during an appearance in Boston federal court and pleaded guilty to six counts of “willful retention and transmission of national defense information” under the Espionage Act, according to court documents.
The judge in the case, Indira Talwani, scheduled a hearing in September to determine whether she would sign off on the deal, which includes a sentencing range of 11 to over 16 years. It would be unusual for a judge to make major alterations to a deal that required approval from top American intelligence and law enforcement officials.
As part of the agreement, the Justice Department agreed not to charge Airman Teixeira, 22, with any additional violations of the Espionage Act, which, when combined with the other charges, could have resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years in prison had he been convicted.
Airman Teixeira, looking a bit younger than his age but stouter than in previous appearances, was led into a packed courtroom in an orange jumpsuit.
In the audience was Airman Teixeira’s mother, father and stepfather, members of the news media and a throng of curious court workers who filed in and out as the hourlong hearing wore on.
