Vienna, Virginia, USA: A U.S. State Department representative confirmed that Ashley Tellis was taken into custody on October 11 but declined to provide additional details. Officials from the Pentagon stated that they do not comment on matters involving ongoing legal proceedings.
Court records reveal that Tellis, a prominent authority on U.S.-India relations who has advised multiple American administrations, was charged with the unauthorised possession of national defence materials. Authorities reported that more than a thousand pages of classified and top-secret documents were found at his residence.
Ashley Tellis, 64, who previously served on the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush and is identified in an FBI affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and a contractor for the Pentagon, was arrested over the weekend and formally charged on October 13, according to documents reviewed on October 14.
In addition, Tellis holds a senior fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Neither Carnegie Endowment officials nor Tellis could be reached for comment immediately. Court documents did not list a defence attorney for Tellis, and no legal representative was publicly known at the time.
Officials from the Trump administration, including former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, had emphasized their commitment to prosecuting individuals who mishandle classified information.
According to the FBI affidavit, in September and October of this year, Tellis was seen entering Defence and State Department facilities, accessing and printing classified records—including materials detailing military aircraft capabilities—and leaving the buildings with a leather briefcase or bag.
A search of his home in Vienna, Virginia, on Saturday revealed over a thousand pages of documents marked as secret or top secret.
The affidavit further noted that Tellis had met with Chinese government representatives on several occasions over recent years. One meeting cited took place on September 15 at a Fairfax, Virginia, restaurant, where Tellis reportedly brought a manila envelope that he did not have when departing.
Due to his previous roles with the State Department and Pentagon, Tellis held a Top Secret clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information.
The Justice Department stated that if found guilty, Tellis could face up to ten years in prison and fines reaching $250,000.
"We are fully committed to safeguarding the American public from threats both foreign and domestic," said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "The charges outlined in this case pose a serious threat to the safety and security of our citizens."
