NEW DELHI: In a development that has sent ripples through Washington’s policy and diplomatic circles and caused repercussions in India, Ashley Tellis, a long-time U.S. government adviser and South Asia expert, has been charged by FBI with unlawfully retaining national defense information and holding repeated meetings with officials from the People’s Republic of China, according to federal court filings.
A criminal complaint and affidavit filed on 13 October, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia accuses Tellis of removing classified documents from secure government facilities and storing them at his residence in Vienna, Virginia.
The 10-page affidavit, submitted by FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Scott, outlines months of surveillance and a detailed timeline of alleged violations under 18 U.S.C. § 793(e) of the Espionage Act.
According to the filing, on 12 September, video footage captured Tellis inside the Department of Defense’s Mark Center in Alexandria, where he allegedly had a co-worker print multiple classified documents, including one marked “TOP SECRET.”
Two weeks later, on 25 September, Tellis reportedly accessed the State Department’s classified network in Washington, D.C., and opened a 1,288-page U.S. Air Force document labeled “Secret.” The affidavit says he renamed the file “Econ Reform” to disguise its contents, printed large portions of it, and later deleted the digital version. He also allegedly printed two additional 40-page Air Force documents on military aircraft systems, both bearing Secret markings.
Investigators claim that on 10 October, Tellis was seen concealing printed materials inside notepads before placing them in his leather briefcase and leaving the secure facility. The next day, the FBI executed a search warrant at his Vienna home, uncovering over a thousand pages of classified materials, including Top Secret and Secret-level documents, stored in filing cabinets and trash bags in his basement.
The affidavit further alleges that Tellis met multiple times with Chinese government officials over the past several years. In one 2022 meeting at a restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia, Tellis was observed carrying a manila envelope, which was not in his possession when he departed two hours later. In later encounters, he and the officials allegedly discussed Iran-China relations, artificial intelligence, and U.S.-Pakistan dynamics. The most recent meeting, on 2 September reportedly ended with Chinese officials presenting Tellis a red gift bag.
Court documents describe Tellis as an unpaid Senior Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and a contractor with the Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA), where he serves as a subject matter expert on India and South Asia.
He also holds a concurrent role as Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.
Tellis, a noted scholar and former U.S. official involved in negotiating the U.S.–India civil nuclear agreement, has long been regarded as one of the most influential American voices on India–U.S. strategic relations.
His work has significantly shaped Washington’s South Asia policy over the past two decades.
Tellis could not be immediately reached for comment.
The case, filed under Case No. 1:25-mj-00606-IDD, is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia, a jurisdiction known for handling sensitive national security matters. The court will determine, after hearing the evidence, whether Tellis is guilty or innocent of the charges. He currently remains presumed innocent under U.S. law.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 793(e), the unlawful retention or transmission of national defense information is a felony punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, a fine, or both, for each count of violation.
If convicted on multiple counts, Tellis could face a significantly higher cumulative sentence.
