An Indian immigrant who has worked at the U.S. State Department for more than two decades has been arrested for allegedly stealing highly classified national defense information.
The case, many say, underscores former President Donald Trump’s long-standing calls to strengthen immigration vetting and limit foreign worker access to sensitive government positions.
Ashley Tellis, 64, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mumbai with a top-secret security clearance, was charged with unlawfully retaining classified defense materials following an FBI raid on his home in Vienna, Virginia. Agents reportedly discovered a cache of top-secret documents scattered throughout the residence—some even stored in trash bags, according to Newsmax.
Tellis, a respected expert on India and South Asian affairs, joined the State Department in 2001 and “played a key role in the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal talks in the mid-2000s,” the Hindustan Times reported.
Federal prosecutors allege Tellis repeatedly met with Chinese officials over the past three years while quietly removing and hoarding classified files.
On September 25, surveillance cameras at the State Department’s Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, D.C., captured Tellis printing hundreds of pages from a classified database—including a 1,288-page report on U.S. Air Force tactics. Before printing, he allegedly renamed the file “Econ Reform” to disguise its contents, later deleting it to cover his tracks.
Just weeks later, on October 10, cameras inside a secure Pentagon facility in Alexandria, Virginia, caught Tellis concealing classified material in notepads, placing them in his briefcase, and leaving the building.
Investigators say that between 2022 and 2025, Tellis held multiple dinners in Fairfax, Virginia, with Chinese officials. During one meeting, he arrived carrying a manila envelope that he did not have when he left. In other encounters, he allegedly discussed sensitive geopolitical topics such as U.S.-Pakistan relations, artificial intelligence, and China’s ties with Iran.
During a September dinner, Tellis reportedly received a “gift bag” from his Chinese contacts—raising further suspicions.
Tellis was arrested and ordered held without bond pending a detention hearing next week. His attorney said the defense “looks forward to presenting evidence” at that hearing.
If convicted, Tellis faces up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Halligan emphasized the seriousness of the case, saying, “We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged represent a grave risk to national security. We will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law.”
