(Trends Wide) — Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking a trove of classified documents on social media, will remain in custody pending trial, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Coroner David Hennessy pondered for weeks whether Teixeira should remain behind bars as prosecutors and defense attorneys repeatedly disputed whether the 21-year-old, originally from Massachusetts, posed a threat to national security.
“What the record shows at this point is a profound breach of word by the defendant that he would protect the information and security of the United States and its allies,” Hennessy said during a hearing on Friday.
Teixeira was arrested on April 14 and charged under the Espionage Law with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense material.
Teixeira has yet to formally plead guilty. His defense attorneys argue that he did not expect the classified information he posted on Discord to spread online.
In recent court documents calling for Teixeira’s continued detention, prosecutors say that new evidence from the government’s investigation into him “belies the defendant’s efforts to minimize his criminal conduct and undermines the defendant’s claim that he can be trusted.” that he will comply with the conditions of freedom imposed that he imposes”.
“In summary, the burden of evidence against the defendant has only increased, and the risks the defendant poses if released have only increased,” prosecutors wrote. “Because no condition or combination of conditions would satisfy the specific and serious concerns raised by the government, the defendant must remain in custody.”
