Ashley J Tellis, a prominent Indian-American strategic affairs expert, has been arrested in the US on charges of unlawfully retaining national defence information. A US attorney said that the information he possessed had a ‘grave risk to the safety and security of Americans’ and he may be sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment with a fine up to USD 250,000 if he is found guilty.
A respected voice in Washington’s foreign policy establishment, Tellis was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specialising in international security, defence, and Asian strategic issues.
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“Tellis, 64, of Vienna, Virginia, was arrested over the weekend 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 October 14. He was believed to have printed out the classified information on US security.
According to an AP report, “An FBI affidavit cites several instances over the last month in which Tellis had allegedly printed classified documents on government computers, or asked a colleague to print, on topics including US military aircraft capabilities”.
An affidavit mentioned that a surveillance video showed him on several occasions exiting the State Department and a Defence Department facility with a briefcase in which he was believed to have stashed the printed-out papers.
It also mentioned that Tellis had met Chinese government officials repeatedly in recent years. In one such instance, Tellis arrived at a dinner in 2022 with a manila folder while the Chinese officials he was meeting entered the premises with a gift bag. However, when Tellis left the restaurant, he did not appear to have the manila folder in his possession, but did not accuse him of providing any classified information during his meetings with the Chinese.
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‘Grave risk for citizens’
US Attorney Lindsey Halligan said, “the charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” adding that the office remained “fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic”.
The statement from the US Attorney’s office mentioned that if convicted, Tellis would face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to USD 250,000, a USD 100 special assessment and forfeiture.
“The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served,” it noted.
According to it, a federal district judge would determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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Ashley J Tellis, a Mumbai native, got his education at the University of Chicago. He 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, which transformed bilateral ties in the mid-2000s.
Previously, he was commissioned into the US Foreign Service and served as senior adviser to the ambassador at the US Embassy in New Delhi.
It is worth noting that he also served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to then-President Bush and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia.
(With Agency inputs)
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