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Arrested U.S.-India expert retained 1000 pages of classified information: DOJ
The department accused Tellis of breaching trust and exploiting his security clearance.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 21, Oct 2025
- 16:35 EDT
- 25
The seal of the U.S. Justice Department is seen on the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room Washington, Jan.24, 2023. / Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
A senior U.S.-India foreign policy expert was arrested on Oct. 11 for unlawfully retaining over 1000 pages of classified national security information at his personal residence, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Oct. 21.
Ashley Tellis, 64, appeared for a detention hearing on Oct. 21 in the Eastern District of Virginia. Authorities allege that Tellis exploited his security clearance to remove sensitive documents from secure government facilities, posing a grave risk to national security.
“Safeguarding our country’s national defense information is a top priority,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sue J. Bai of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
“For those entrusted with our country’s most sensitive information, protecting it is a privilege and solemn responsibility. With the hard work and dedication of our prosecutors and agents, we will hold this defendant accountable for breaching that trust and exploiting his security clearance to unlawfully retain classified information detailing our military capabilities," Bai added.
Also read: Arrested US adviser on India to contest allegations in documents case, lawyers say
According to court documents, Tellis, who has worked for the U.S. Department of State since 2001 and currently serves as a contractor for the Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment, had a Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access. Investigators claim that Tellis altered filenames, printed classified documents, and even concealed sensitive materials in his briefcase before leaving government facilties.
A court-authorized search of his home also revealed over 1,000 pages of documents labeled SECRET and TOP SECRET, which were stored in locked filing cabinets, his basement office, and even trash bags, the department noted.
“U.S. government security clearance holders are entrusted to keep our nation’s most sensitive secrets safe,” said Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office. “By allegedly removing classified documents from government facilities and storing them in his basement, Mr. Tellis betrayed that trust.”
“We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office with assistance from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
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