Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, has been taken into police custody on suspicion of leaking classified documents. The FBI arrested him on Thursday after the documents were leaked online.
Teixeira is currently being held by authorities in North Dighton, Massachusetts. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Teixeira is scheduled to appear in Massachusetts U.S. District Court soon. However, since the investigation is still ongoing, Garland declined to comment further to the press.
Meet Jack Teixeira Parents – Tom & Dawn Dufault
Tom and Dawn Dufault are the parents of Jack Teixeira, who was recently arrested on suspicion of leaking classified documents. Jack, who is 21 years old, hails from North Dighton, Massachusetts. He joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard and was based at the Otis Air National Guard Base in western Cape Cod. Last July, he was promoted to Airman 1st class, which is considered a relatively junior position.
According to the official website of the Air Force, those in positions related to Cyber Transport Systems are responsible for managing the organization’s vast communication infrastructure. However, there is no record of Jack Teixeira’s deployment abroad, and his family has a history of serving in the military.
Jack Teixeira’s stepfather reportedly retired after thirty-four years of service, and he received his last assignment as a master sergeant from Mr. Teixeira’s unit, the 102nd Intelligence Wing. Jack’s mother, Dawn Dufault, has worked in veteran-focused non-profits and the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services, according to public documents and LinkedIn.
On Veterans Day, Dawn Dufault typically posted family photos, and other pictures on her social media reportedly showed Jack riding all-terrain vehicles with their pet dogs.
What Did Jack Teixeira Do?
Jack Teixeira is alleged to have led an invitation-only chatroom on Discord called ThugShaker Central, which was created in 2020.
The group reportedly comprised of 20-30 young men from different countries who shared offensive jokes, idle chitchat, and memes, as well as prayed and watched movies together.
He provided versions of the sensitive information he had previously put up in the chatroom.
But he started releasing images of the files after growing impatient with other chatroom users who were not paying attention. Jack once sent the group a furious note lamenting their increased interest in YouTube videos.
The unnamed group member disclosed that Teixeira became agitated and repeatedly threatened to cease distributing the files if the group didn’t interact with them.
A teen in the group had a theory regarding the motive behind Mr. Teixeira’s sharing of the materials.
This Christian, anti-war individual merely wanted to let his friends know what was happening, reported BBC.
As reported by the New York Times, Mr. Teixeira is a charming young gun enthusiast, according to a chatroom user.
According to other members, Mr. Teixeira appeared eager to impress as he was older than most group members. He was the myth; one person told the publication. He was the myth, after all. Everyone admired this man.
The publication further reported that Mr. Teixeira informed the group that he worked in a place where cell phones were strictly prohibited.
He allegedly used different usernames online, such as TexKilledYou, jackdjdtex, and TheExcaliburEffect.
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FAQs
What is Jack Teixeira being charged with?
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old airman in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, had his first court appearance on Friday. He is facing charges of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, as well as unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.
How many years could Jack Teixeira get?
During his court appearance, Mr. Teixeira was informed that if he is found guilty of both charges, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
