By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-10 22:31:27 | Updated at 2025-03-12 20:49:59
1 day ago
A court martial convened on Monday for Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was sentenced in federal court last year to 15 years in prison for leaking highly classified military documents after the most consequential national security breach in years.
Teixeira pleaded guilty last year to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information under the Espionage Act. He faces additional military charges of disobeying orders and obstructing justice in the court martial.
His lawyer, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Poronsky, argued that the obstructing justice charge should either be dismissed or go unpunished, saying it amounts to double jeopardy because it already factored into Teixeira’s November sentencing.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Havern for the prosecution argued against dismissal, saying the charge involves different conduct at a different time than the acts that obstructed justice in the federal case.
Judge Vicki Marcus took the defence motion under advisement and said the proceedings would resume on Thursday. Regarding the disobeying orders charge, the court acknowledged there is a plea agreement but neither side offered any details. The court is expected to go over the details of the agreement with Teixeira on Thursday.
Teixeira, 22, remains in the Air National Guard in an unpaid status for now. He wore his military uniform for the proceedings at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts and did not comment other than telling the judge he understood the process. Several family members attended.
