Ashley Tellis Arrest: US India Expert Charged in Classified Documents Case

“We can confirm that State Department consultant Ashley Tellis was arrested on October 11, 2025. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on the case,” a State Department official told IANS.

Lindsey Halligan, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, also issued a statement, saying that Tellis was “arrested over the weekend and charged by criminal complaint with the unlawful retention of national defense information.”

“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 US Attorney Halligan.

“The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served,” he added.

If convicted, Tellis could face a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine.

A federal affidavit filed on October 13 in the Eastern District of Virginia accused Tellis of taking classified documents from secure facilities and storing them at his home in Vienna, Virginia.

The 10-page affidavit details a series of surveillance observations and evidence pointing to Tellis's alleged misconduct, including the removal of classified materials from secure facilities.

According to court documents, on September 12, 2025, video surveillance captured Tellis at the Department of Defense (DoD)'s Mark Center in Alexandria, where he had a co-worker print multiple classified documents, including one at the "TOP SECRET" level.

On September 25, 2025, Tellis accessed a classified State Department computer system in Washington, DC, and opened a 1,288-page US Air Force document marked "secret", the documents allege. He allegedly renamed the file “Econ Reform” to hide its contents, printed hundreds of pages, and then deleted the file. The court documents say he also printed two other 40-page Air Force documents on military aircraft, both classified “Secret.”

The FBI alleged that on October 10, Tellis was observed hiding these documents – believed to include the top-secret material – inside notepads and placing them in his leather briefcase before leaving the facility and driving home.

The affidavit also noted that Tellis met several times over the years with Chinese officials. In one 2022 meeting, he arrived with a manila envelope and left without it after two hours. In later meetings, they discussed topics such as Iran-China ties, artificial intelligence, and US-Pakistan relations. At their most recent meeting on September 2, 2025, Chinese officials gave Tellis a red gift bag, the affidavit alleged.

The documents said that Tellis was currently “an unpaid Senior Advisor at the Department of State. Additionally, he is a contractor in the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) within the Department of Defense (DoD). In his role with ONA, Tellis is considered a subject matter expert on India and South Asian affairs. Additionally, he is employed as a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace."

Tellis has previously served as a senior adviser to the US undersecretary of state for political affairs and was involved in negotiating the civil nuclear agreement with India.

- IANS