Global Courant 2023-04-27 11:48:53
Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira is a flight risk who has taken calculated steps to thwart investigations into his alleged leak of classified information, federal prosecutors argued in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday as they prepare to face a federal judge telling Teixeira to “remain detained.”
Teixeira, 21, is due to appear in federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Thursday for a detention hearing after she was charged with the unauthorized retention and disclosure of national defense information and the willful preservation of classified documents. Teixeira has yet to enter a plea.
“First, the defendant poses a serious flight risk,” prosecutors said in Wednesday’s filing. “He currently faces 25 years in prison – and possibly much more – and other serious consequences for his conduct; the evidence against him is substantial and accumulating; the conduct charged would clearly end his military career; have access to a treasure trove of classified information that would be of immense value to hostile nation-states that could provide him with a safe haven and try to facilitate his escape from the United States.
In the government’s filing, prosecutors alleged that Teixeira had taken “a series of obstructive steps” to prevent investigators from understanding the scope of what he allegedly did.
This includes instructions given by the suspect to other online members of a social media platform (including to ‘delete all posts’ and ‘(if) anyone comes to watch, don’t tell them s***’), as well as the fact that after his arrest, authorities searched a dumpster in his residence and found a tablet, a laptop and an Xbox game console, all of which had been destroyed,” the filing said.
An undated photo of Jack Teixeira, suspected of leaking classified documents.
Obtained by ABC News
Federal prosecutors expressed concern that if released on bail, it would be “all too easy” for Teixeira to “further distribute classified information”, creating an “unacceptable risk”, he would flee the country and “seek refuge seek from a foreign adversary,” the document said.
The government also outlined in detail the reasons why they believe Teixeira poses a danger to the public if released from detention, pointing to the “virtual arsenal of weapons” he possessed in residences he inhabited and owned by his mother and father.
It included “bolt rifles, rifles, AR and AK style weapons and a bazooka,” prosecutors said in the indictment.
Further, the government reported that as late as July last year, Teixeira allegedly used its government computer to search for the terms “Ruby Ridge,” “Las Vegas shooting,” “Mandalay Bay shooting,” “Buffalo tops shooting,” and “Uvalde,” according to the declaration.
While investigators acknowledged they could be linked to Teixeira’s belief in conspiracy theories that the government had prior knowledge of these mass shootings, “the combination of these search terms, the suspect’s violent statements on social media, and the gun arsenal of disturbing the suspect.” they wrote in the filing on Wednesday.
The request comes after two leaders of the unit where the alleged leaker worked were temporarily suspended by the Air Force while the investigation continues.
The two senior leaders are the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and the detachment commander who oversees the squadron’s administrative support. With the suspension, they also temporarily no longer have access to secret systems and information.
Earlier this month, the federal magistrate judge overseeing Teixeira’s case granted his request to postpone the detention hearing that would have determined whether the suspect should remain in federal custody. Teixeira tried to postpone the hearing so his lawyers would have more time to discuss arguments for keeping him in federal custody, according to a court indictment.
