US State Department employee Ashley Tellis arrested for retaining classified documents, meeting Chinese officials

 

 

According to a criminal affidavit, Tellis, 64, stored more than 1,000 pages of documents marked "Top Secret” and "Secret” at his home in Vienna, Virginia. He is also accused of meeting Chinese officials several times since September 2022.

 

 

Tellis, originally from India, is a well-known expert on India and South Asia and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has advised the U.S. government for over two decades and played a key role in the landmark U.S- India civil nuclear deal during the administration of George W. Bush in 2008, according to news agency AFP.

 

 

The affidavit states that Tellis instructed a coworker to print classified documents for him on September 12. Later, on September 25, he entered the State Department, where he worked as an unpaid adviser, and appeared to print material from a secret document related to U.S. Air Force techniques, according to AFP.

 

 

Investigators also revealed that Tellis had multiple dinners with Chinese government officials in Fairfax, Virginia. At one meeting on September 15, he was seen holding a manila envelope that he didn’t take back with him. On two other occasions, the Chinese officials gave him gift bags.

 

 

The State Department confirmed his arrest on Saturday , the same day he was reportedly scheduled to fly to Rome. Officials have not shared more details, citing the ongoing investigation.

 

 

"The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens," said Lindsey Halligan, the US attorney for Virginia's eastern district, reported news agency AFP.

 

 

If convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for unlawfully retaining classified information, according to the United States Department of Justice.