Ashley J Tellis, a prominent Indian-American strategic affairs expert, has been arrested on charges of unlawfully retaining national defence information, PTI has reported.
A respected voice in Washington's foreign policy establishment, Tellis is currently a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specialising in international security, defence, and Asian strategic issues.
"Tellis, 64, of Vienna, VA, was arrested over the weekend in Vienna, Virginia, and charged by criminal complaint with the unlawful retention of national defence information," the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement on Tuesday.
”The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” US Attorney Lindsey Halligan said, adding that the office remained “fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic.”
If convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to USD 250,000, a USD 100 special assessment and forfeiture, the statement said.
”The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served,” it said.
A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, the statement said.
Born in Mumbai and educated at the University of Chicago, Tellis has been a prolific writer and adviser on defence and Asia policy. He was closely involved in shaping the landmark India-US civil nuclear agreement during the George W Bush administration that transformed bilateral ties in the mid-2000s.
ANI adds: A US state department employee has been accused of unlawfully removing classified documents from secure government locations and holding multiple meetings with Chinese officials dating back to 2023, quoting Fox News.
According to the US justice department, Tellis served as an unpaid senior adviser to the state department and was also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the department of defence, recently renamed the department of war.
In his role at the Office of Net Assessment, he was considered a subject-matter expert on India and South Asian affairs.
Court documents state that Tellis began working for the state department in 2001. He has been accused of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Federal prosecutors said that Tellis held a top-secret clearance and had access to sensitive information. He was also employed as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Fox News reported.
During a search of his residence in Vienna, Virginia, authorities recovered more than a thousand pages of documents marked "TOP SECRET" and "SECRET," as per court filings.
On September 12, Tellis allegedly asked a coworker at a government facility to print multiple classified documents for him.
Later, on September 25, he is said to have printed US Air Force documents related to military aircraft capabilities, according to prosecutors.
Federal officials further alleged that Tellis met with Chinese government representatives several times over the past few years.
In one such instance in September 2022, he reportedly met Chinese officials at a restaurant in Virginia while holding a manila envelope, prosecutors said.
During another meeting on April 11, 2023, Tellis and the Chinese officials were heard discussing Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies over dinner, authorities added.
Court documents also noted that Tellis received a gift bag during a dinner meeting with Chinese officials on September 2.
Fox News reported that the justice department continues to investigate the case, with federal prosecutors highlighting the sensitive nature of the documents recovered from Tellis's home.
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