WASHINGTON: Ashley Tellis, an Indian-origin expert on South Asian affairs who served as a Pentagon contractor and unpaid adviser to the US State Department, has been arrested for allegedly retaining classified defense documents and meeting with Chinese officials over several years.
According to an FBI affidavit released on Tuesday, Tellis unlawfully accessed and removed materials related to US Air Force tactics and techniques while working with the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA) — an internal think tank focused on long-term defense strategy.
Investigators said Tellis met several times with Chinese government officials, including during a dinner in April 2023 at a Washington DC–area restaurant, where he was overheard discussing “Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.” On one occasion in Fairfax, Virginia, he reportedly carried a manila envelope to a meeting but did not take it back with him.
US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, announced that Tellis has been charged under 18 U.S.C. § 793(e) — unlawful retention of national defense information. “The charges as alleged represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” Halligan said, adding that the case underscores the government’s commitment to countering both foreign and domestic threats.
If convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge in accordance with the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Pentagon had earlier announced that ONA would be dismantled and restructured, though officials have not confirmed whether Tellis’s arrest influenced that decision.
