I apologise as the above question does sound a bit stupid and a bit odd.

As a Brit I can not help but think this young lad if found guilty is going to be in enormous trouble right?

This is a huge case over here at the moment.

36 comments

  1. If he did what they say he did… A whole lot of trouble. It’s hard to speculate at this point. Definitely prison time. How much depends on a lot of factors.

  6. I’m assuming he could be tried for espionage and possibly treason. So, maybe never-get-out-of-prison kind of trouble.

  8. If this is what he is charged with, 5 years.

    > §1924. Unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material

    > (a) Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

    > (b) For purposes of this section, the provision of documents and materials to the Congress shall not constitute an offense under subsection (a).

    > (c) In this section, the term “classified information of the United States” means information originated, owned, or possessed by the United States Government concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States that has been determined pursuant to law or Executive order to require protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interests of national security.

  10. Yeah so, he didn’t “retain” the documents. He distributed them.

    As far as we know, in public knowledge, Donald Trump retained classified documents in his residence, which was at the time an unauthorized location to retain those documents. Intent to disseminate has not (yet) been established in that case.

    In this case, the young fella took the documents, put them on his personal computer, and then distributed them on a communications platform not cleared for that level of information. Intent has not been established here, but I can tell you from my own military experience, dissemination is not a mistake you make as an oopsie.

    Bottom line: He has no idea how hard he’s about to get fucked. He’s uber-fucked.

  12. He basically did what past “whistleblowers” did, except he just did it to look cool to a bunch of fellow morons. There’s no motive any political constituency finds laudable. No one’s commuting his sentence or pardoning him.

    With the clearance he presumably has, there are basically no legal defenses for sharing TS information or extenuating circumstances that might mitigate blame. Considering how fast they found him once they noticed the documents, I suspect they have him dead to rights. He’s *profoundly, galactically* fucked.

    If I had to guess, he better enjoy the fresh air walking to and from the courthouse.

  13. 10 years in prison is the typical penalty for unauthorized removal of classified information … but that’s really more for violations due to accidents and carelessness.

    There’s a *fuck of a lot* of other charges that could be brought against him, up to and including the death penalty for treason.

  14. Assuming he’s guilty, he’s looking at a lengthy prison term in a military prison. For comparison, Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years at Fort Leavenworth prison for violating the Espionage Act and leaking military secrets to Wikileaks.

    PS: your question isn’t stupid. There’s a lot of hyperbole and supposition surrounding this case.

  16. Apparently he posted the docs on discord.

    Congrats to the first man to be sent to SuperMax for posting cringe.

  17. It’s unlikely to be a charge of treason. The Constitution says, “Treason against the United States shall consist only in levvying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aide and comfort.”

    It would most likely fall under the Espionage Act of 1917. The maximum penalties for violations of the Espionage Act are:

    1. “For individuals convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 793 (e) (governing the unauthorized communication of national defense information), the maximum penalty is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine.”

    2. “For individuals convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 793 (d) (governing the unauthorized possession of national defense information), the maximum penalty is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine.”

    3. “For individuals convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 794 (governing gathering or delivering defense information to aid a foreign government), the Act provides for more severe penalties, including potentially the death penalty in cases where the offense results in the death of a U.S. intelligence officer.”

    Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-37

    So either ten years, or much longer.

    Edit: He is apparently subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which makes him subject to additional charges.

    Service members convicted of an Article 103a violation face a maximum possible punishment of any punishment, other than death, that a court-martial may direct if they are convicted of espionage or attempted espionage.

    If the service member is convicted of espionage as a capital offense, they face a maximum possible punishment of death or any other punishment a court-martial may deem appropriate.

    A sentence of death may only be used if the members of the court-martial, unanimously agree that any extenuating or mitigating circumstances are outweighed by the offense and at least one of the following:

    1. the accused has been convicted of another offense involving espionage or treason for which either a sentence of death or imprisonment for life was authorized by statute;

    2. in the commission of the offense, the accused knowingly created a grave risk of substantial damage to the national security;

    3. in the commission of the offense, the accused knowingly created a grave risk of death to another person; or

    4. any other factor that may be prescribed by the President by regulations under section 836 of article 36.

  20. Oh, he’s fucked. Gross negligence and abuse of his security clearance leading to a major intelligence leak involving an ongoing conflict and espionage on allies. I’m betting the DoD isn’t going to throw him under the bus, they’re going to tie him to a chair and hit him with the whole fleet. Best case scenario is a couple years in prison, but seeing as he’s military, there will be more he will deal with on that side.

  21. At least 10 years in the hoosegow, probably more if they throw the book at him. As other people mentioned, treason is a wartime charge.

  23. If convicted he’ll most likely sentenced to Ft. Leavenworth for a long, long, time.

  24. Probably similarly fucked as Chelsea Manning. Maybe slightly more fucked since Teixeira has less of a case for being a whistleblower

  25. Under U.S. Code Title 18, the penalty is death, or not less than five years’ imprisonment (with a minimum fine of $10,000, if not sentenced to death). Any person convicted of treason against the United States also forfeits the right to hold public office in the United States.

  27. He’s not going to some federal white collar resort, he’s going to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison

  29. A guy in Texas just got 70 years for spitting in the direction of a cop. So he’s screwed.

  32. In 2023, a crack national guardsman was sent to prison
    by a military court for a crime he definitely did commit.
    This man promptly didnt escape from a maximum security SuperMax stockade to the Los Angeles underground.
    Today, still busted by the government he survives as a prison bitch of fortune.
    If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him….
    maybe you can hire Jack Teixeira.

  34. he will essentially have no future to look forward to. Also, whoever thought it was a great idea to put a 21 year old in a position where they can access highly confidential information where countless lives can be put at risk will also be in hot water.

  35. He deserves the death penalty, though it doesn’t sound like he’s eligible for it. We’ll never know how many people died because of what he did.

  36. Im sure the government will throw the book at him, he embarassed them big time. I just sit here and laugh at the absolute stupidity and incompetence of the intelligence agencies and the government. You aren’t dealing with masterminds here, you’re talking morons who post powerpoints on a shared drive that can be found by a 21 year old national guardsman.

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