BOSTON — Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman arrested in connection with the leak of classified documents, made his first appearance before a federal judge on Friday.
At least three family members were in court and were seen hugging and comforting each other after Teixeira, who was wearing a brown jail jumpsuit, was led away by US Marshals.
A judge told Teixeira that he was charged with possessing classified documents related to national security and possessing national defense materials. The charges carry a maximum of 10 years behind bars.
Teixeira was arrested Thursday afternoon at a home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, federal officials said.
It was not immediately clear how federal authorities believe Teixeira, who holds the rank of Airman 1st Class, could have gained access to confidential Pentagon material, especially records related to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Teixeira has been in uniform since entering the Air National Guard in September 2019. He has been based at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod and is assigned as a Cyber Transportation Systems Officer.
His arrest followed weeks of intense work by federal authorities searching for the source of the leak, which potentially exposed hundreds of pages of intelligence about Russian efforts in Ukraine and spying on US allies.
Teixeira’s next court appearance was set for Wednesday.
Brian Michael reported from Boston and David K. Li from New York City.