A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of intentionally retaining and transmitting national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years. Brought into court dressed in an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.

Before being sentenced he apologized for his actions.

“I wanted to apologize for all the damage I caused and caused,” Texeira said, referring to the “maelstrom” he caused to friends, family and anyone affected abroad. “I understand that all responsibility and consequences rest solely on my shoulders and I accept whatever that brings,” he said, standing as he addressed the judge.

Teixeira then hugged one of his lawyers, looked at his family and smiled before he was led out of the courtroom.

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The security breach raised alarm about the United States’ ability to protect its best-kept secrets and forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout. The leaks embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard classified information and sanctioned members who had intentionally failed to take required action on Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.

Earlier in Tuesday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan argued that 200 months – or a little more than 16 1/2 years – was appropriate given the “historic” damage caused by Teixeira’s conduct that aided America’s adversaries. and harmed the country’s allies. . He also said prosecutors’ recommendation would send a message to any member of the military who might consider similar conduct.

“It will be a warning to the men and women of the American military,” Dolan said. “They are going to tell them that this is what happens if you break your promise, if you betray your country… They will know the name of the accused. They will know the sentence that the court imposes.”

But Teixeira’s attorney, Michael Bachrach, told the judge in court Tuesday that 11 years was enough.

“It is an important, tough and difficult sentence, which will not be easy to carry out,” Bachrach said. “It will serve as an extreme deterrent to anyone, especially young military personnel. “That is enough to deter them from committing serious behavior.”

Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, had pleaded guilty in March to six counts of intentionally retaining and transmitting national defense information under the Espionage Act. That came nearly a year after he was arrested in the biggest national security breach in years.

The 22-year-old admitted that he illegally collected some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and shared them with other users on the social media platform Discord.

When Teixeira pleaded guilty, prosecutors said they would seek a prison term at the high end of the sentencing range. But the defense previously wrote in its sentencing memorandum that the 11 years are “serious and appropriate to take into account deterrence considerations and would be essentially equal to half the life Jack has lived thus far.”

His lawyers described Teixeira as an isolated, autistic individual who spent most of his time online, especially with his Discord community. They said his actions, while criminal, were never intended to “harm the United States.” He also had no criminal record.

“Instead, his intention was to educate his friends about world events to ensure they were not misled by misinformation,” the attorneys wrote. “For Jack, the war in Ukraine was his generation’s Second World War or Iraq, and he needed someone to share the experience with.”

Prosecutors, however, responded that Teixeira does not suffer from an intellectual disability that prevents him from distinguishing right from wrong. They argued that Teixeira’s diagnosis of “mild, high-functioning” autism after the arrest “is of questionable relevance to this process.”

Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transportation systems specialist, which is essentially an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. He remains in the Air National Guard without pay, an Air Force official said.

Authorities said he first wrote classified documents that he accessed and then began sharing photos of files that were marked SECRET and TOP SECRET. Prosecutors also said he tried to cover his tracks before his arrest, and authorities found a smashed tablet, laptop and Xbox gaming console in a trash bin at his home.

The leak exposed to the world unvarnished, secret assessments of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. Teixeira also admitted to publishing information about a U.S. adversary’s plans to harm U.S. forces serving abroad.