Top Indian-origin defense expert arrested over China links, classified documents
What's the story
Ashley Tellis, a 64-year-old India-born United States State Department employee, has been charged with the unlawful retention of national defense information. The charges were filed in a federal court in Virginia on October 13. Court documents reveal that Tellis is accused of unlawfully retaining classified national defense materials and of allegedly holding multiple meetings with Chinese government officials.
Career highlights
Tellis instrumental in US-India civil nuclear deal negotiations
Tellis, who was born in India, has been a senior adviser at the State Department since 2001. He reportedly played a pivotal role in the US-India civil nuclear deal negotiations in the mid-2000s. He also served under former President George W Bush on the National Security Council as a special assistant and senior director for strategic planning and South-West Asia.
Academic credentials
Tellis born in Mumbai
Tellis was born in Mumbai and graduated from St. Xavier's College, University of Bombay, before getting a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago. He now holds top-secret security clearance and is an unpaid senior adviser at the State Department. He also works as a contractor for the Department of Defense Office of Net Assessment and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Controversial meetings
Allegations of leaking classified information to Chinese officials
The affidavit against Tellis details several meetings with Chinese government officials at restaurants in Fairfax, Virginia, between September 2022 and September 2025. During a dinner on September 15, 2022, he allegedly entered a restaurant with a manila envelope that "did not appear" to be with him when he left. The conversations were reportedly overheard discussing Iranian-Chinese relations and US-Pakistan relations.
Legal proceedings
Faces up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine
Tellis was arrested after a court-approved search on October 11 revealed over 1,000 pages of classified documents at his home in Vienna, Virginia, an affidavit from an FBI special agent stated. The documents were found in three large black trash bags in an unfinished storage area and locked filing cabinets. If convicted for unlawfully retaining classified documents, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.