Who is Ashley J Tellis? Indian-origin defence expert in US arrested over secret documents, Chinese link
According to the government affidavit, Tellis allegedly accessed a government facility printer to obtain numerous classified documents. Printed US Air Force documents on military aircraft capabilities. Who is Ashley J Tellis?
The US Department of Justice has charged Indian-American analyst Ashley Tellis with illegally possessing defense-related documents and meeting with Chinese officials. He was arrested and taken into custody over the weekend following a federal investigation into the incident, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Authorities found more than 1,000 pages of classified documents marked “Top Secret” and “Secret” at Tellis’ home in Virginia. According to the government affidavit, Tellis allegedly accessed a government facility printer to obtain numerous classified documents. Printed US Air Force documents on military aircraft capabilities. He had allegedly met with Chinese government officials multiple times, including a meeting at a Virginia restaurant where he was seen with a Manila envelope and a dinner meeting where Iran-China relations and emerging technologies were discussed.
Ashley J Tellis: Mumbai-born US think tank
The 64-year-old famous foreign policy academic and defense strategist was born in Mumbai, India. He graduated from St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and later earned a PhD from the University of Chicago. Before moving into government service, he worked as a senior policy analyst and professor of policy analysis at the RAND Graduate School. He served as senior advisor to the US Ambassador to New Delhi. As a senior advisor to the US State Department, he played a key role in negotiating the US-India civil nuclear agreement. He has become a familiar face on the US-India-China talking heads circuit, with his scholarly work closely read in Washington DC, New Delhi and Beijing for years.
He is currently President of Strategic Affairs at Tata and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Investigation into Ashley J. Tellis case
Federal investigators, meanwhile, are investigating allegations that Ashley Tellis removed classified documents from safe locations and met with Chinese officials. Prosecutors allege Tellis violated 18 USC § 793(e), posing a significant risk to the safety and security of U.S. citizens. If convicted, Tellis faces possible penalties including up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
