Who is Ashley J Tellis? Indian-origin defence expert in US arrested over secret documents, Chinese link

The US Justice Department has accused Ashley Tellis, a US analyst of Indian-origin, of illegally possessing defence-related documents and meeting with Chinese officials. He was arrested and taken into custody over the weekend following a federal investigation into the case, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Authorities found over 1,000 pages of classified documents marked "Top Secret" and "Secret" at Tellis' Virginia home. According to the government affidavit, Tellis allegedly accessed a government facility printer to obtain multiple classified documents. He printed US Air Force documents concerning military aircraft capabilities. He allegedly met Chinese government officials multiple times, including a meeting at a Virginia restaurant where he was seen with a manila envelope, and a dinner meeting discussing Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies.

 Ashley J Tellis: Mumbai-born US thinktanker 

The 64-year-old renowned foreign policy scholar and defence strategist was born in Mumbai, India. He graduated from St Xavier's College, Mumbai and later earned a PhD from the University of Chicago. He worked as a senior policy analyst and professor of policy analysis at the RAND Graduate School before he transitioned into government service. He served as senior adviser to the US Ambassador in New Delhi. He played a key role in negotiating the US-India civil nuclear agreement as a senior adviser to the US Department of State. His has been a familiar face on the US-India-China talking heads circuit for years with scholarly work that was closely read in Washington DC, New Delhi, and Beijing.

He currently holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and serves as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

Probe into Ashley J Tellis case

Meanwhile, Federal investigators are probing allegations that Ashley Tellis removed classified documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials. Prosecutors allege that Tellis violated 18 USC § 793(e),  which poses a significant risk to US citizens' safety and security. If convicted, Tellis may face potential penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.