The prosecution has sentenced Jack Teixeira to 15 years of prison for his role in the “most consequential and significant violations of the Espionage Act of American History”.

After the prison sentence, there will be three years of supervision.

On Tuesday, Judge Indira TALAWANI delivered the sentence in federal court in Boston.

Teixeira, in March, pleaded guilty to six counts of retaining and transmitting willful information about national defense.

Joshua S. Levy said that the “significant sentence” sent a strong signal to anyone who had clearance of top-secret information.

Levy told reporters that he expected Jack Teixeira to be mentioned in future trainings about the importance of top secret clearances and the potential consequences for disclosing information.

Levy stated that Teixeira had “abused his role” and placed himself above his nation when he used his top-secret clearance to access hundreds of classified files for more than a year and then “made the conscious decision” to share these documents on Discord.

Levy said that it may take years to assess the full extent of damage caused by Mr. Teixeira.

Christopher Wray said that in a recent press release, the sentence was a “stark reminder to those who are entrusted to safeguard information about national defense.” You will be held responsible if you breach this trust.

The prosecution had asked the judge to impose a maximum sentence of 200 months — or 16 years in prison.

According to a memo filed before the sentencing, Teixeira disclosed national defense information to social media platform Discord in order to satisfy his ego and impress anonymous friends. Teixeira has caused extraordinary harm to United States national safety by posting intelligence products to Discord. His betrayal was of a staggering scale.

According to his defense, Teixeira has ADHD and Autism. Teixeira’s defense said he didn’t mean to harm the country but wanted to keep his online friends updated on world events.

Michael Bachrach, Brandan Kelley, and the attorneys for the defendant wrote to the court before sentencing, “Jack still is a child, or at least a ‘youthful offender’, who has his entire life ahead of him. A sentence of 132 months will give him ample time to mature. The punishment is important, but so is his behavior.

The memorandum stated that Jack would have no problems leading a productive lifestyle, either in prison or upon his release.

Teixeira said in the memo that he is currently negotiating with his military prosecution.

Teixeira filed a plea deal with the court. Teixeira agreed to plead to all six counts for willful transmission and storage of national defense information.

A prosecutor stated that Teixeira had “accessed and printed hundreds of classified documents” as well as posted images to Discord before his arrest on April 20, 2023.

Teixeira is required to attend an informational briefing with the Defense Department as well as the Justice Department. He must also return any sensitive material that he may still have.

According to the federal prosecutors, Teixeira’s position as a lower-level employee did not require him to peer at classified materials.

At a hearing in March, Assistant United States Attorney Jason Casey stated that the defendant was responsible for troubleshooting computer problems.

Casey said Teixeira had accessed “hundreds of” classified documents in the secure facility where he worked. He said Teixeira had “purposefully removed classified information and documents despite warnings from his superiors”.

Teixeira admitted to the court that he knew the documents were classified.

Without mentioning specifics, federal prosecutors said Teixeira exposed information about the compromise by a foreign adversary of certain accounts belonging to a U.S. company and information about the equipment the U.S. was sent to Ukraine, how it would be transferred, and how it would be used upon receipt. Prosecutors said he also posted material about troop movements in Ukraine, a plot by a foreign adversary to attack U.S. forces abroad, and Western deliveries of supplies to the Ukrainian battlefield.

Teixeira joined the Air National Guard, according to his record of service, in 2019. He received top-security clearance in 2021.

The Justice Department reports that he started posting classified documents on the internet in January 2022.

According to the U.S. Air Force, Teixeira is facing a court martial over a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

U.S. Military reserves the right to prosecute separately a servicemember who has been convicted by a federal court.