Richmond, Virginia, USA: Renowned Indian-origin strategic expert Ashley Tellis has been arrested in the United States for allegedly keeping classified government documents and meeting with Chinese officials, officials confirmed this week.

The US Department of Justice said the 64-year-old unlawfully stored over 1,000 pages of top-secret and secret files at his home in Vienna, Virginia. Tellis, a respected voice on US-India relations, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Tellis served on the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush and worked as an adviser to the State Department and Pentagon. He is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C.

According to court records, Tellis removed and printed classified materials from federal offices in September and October 2025. FBI agents later found the files at his home in filing cabinets, a desk, and even storage bags.

Authorities say Tellis also met several times with Chinese officials, including one encounter on September 15, 2025, in Fairfax, Virginia, where he was seen with a manila envelope that later went missing.

US Attorney Lindsey Halligan called the case a serious threat to national security, emphasising the government’s commitment to protecting sensitive defence information.

Born in Mumbai, India, Tellis studied at St. Xavier’s College and the University of Chicago, where he earned his MA and PhD in Political Science. He has long been known for his policy writings on US-India-China relations.

In a June essay for Foreign Affairs, Tellis argued that India’s ambition for global power exceeds its current capacity, warning that domestic politics could weaken its democratic standing.

If found guilty, Tellis could face a decade-long sentence and a $250,000 fine.