A State Department adviser allegedly retained classified documents and met with officials from China
A prominent India expert and adviser to the US State Department has been charged with the unauthorized retention of more than 1,000 pages of classified defense information, officials announced on Tuesday.
Ashley J. Tellis, a senior fellow and Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was arrested after a federal investigation into the handling of classified material, according to a statement from the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan.
Prosecutors alleged that Tellis violated a section which prohibits unauthorized possession or retention of defense-related documents. “The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” Halligan said.
Investigators are examining claims that Tellis improperly removed classified documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials as part of their probe.
South Asian Defence Expert Arrested in 🇺🇸 Over Espionage Allegations
Ashley Tellis has been charged with unlawfully retaining classified national defence information, according to the US Attorney’s Office in Virginia, which said the alleged conduct posed “a grave risk to the… pic.twitter.com/ecWHFvxiks
If convicted, Tellis could face up to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, the statement said.
The Justice Department said Tellis, who is of Indian descent, was an unpaid senior adviser to the State Department and also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of Defense (recently renamed the Department of War), according to a Fox News report.
Tellis began working for the State Department in 2001, as per court documents cited by Fox News.
During a search of his Vermont residence, authorities found more than a thousand pages of documents marked “TOP SECRET” and “SECRET,” according to court documents cited in media reports.
Federal prosecutors claim that Tellis printed US Air Force documents on September 25, which contained information on military aircraft capabilities. They also allege that he had a series of meetings with Chinese government officials over the past few years.
Tellis has long been regarded as one of Washington’s foremost experts on South Asian security and US-India relations. He also served on the National Security Council as special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia.
