A senior employee affiliated with the U.S. State Department, Ashley Tellis, has been accused of unlawfully removing and retaining classified national defence documents from official government locations.

The case, reported by Fox News and confirmed through Justice Department filings, involves potential breaches of U.S. national security and unauthorised interactions with foreign officials.

Court filings reveal that Tellis began his tenure with the State Department in 2001. At the time of the investigation, he was serving as an unpaid senior adviser to the department and concurrently worked as a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment (now renamed the Department of War).

He was recognised as a subject-matter expert on India and South Asian affairs, a position that provided him access to sensitive defence-related analysis.

Tellis also held a senior fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he contributed research focusing on U.S.-India relations and strategic affairs.

Federal prosecutors allege that Tellis, who possessed top-secret clearance, unlawfully retained several classified materials. During a search of his residence in Vienna, Virginia, investigators reportedly recovered over a thousand pages of documents marked “TOP SECRET” and “SECRET.”

Authorities stated that on September 12, 2025, Tellis asked a coworker at a government facility to print multiple classified documents on his behalf. Later, on September 25, he allegedly printed U.S. Air Force material relating to military aircraft capabilities without authorisation.

The Justice Department has deemed these acts as violations of federal law concerning the unlawful retention of national defence information.

Prosecutors further allege that Tellis maintained repeated contact with officials from the Chinese government over several years. In September 2022, he was reportedly observed meeting Chinese representatives at a restaurant in Virginia while holding a manila envelope.

Another recorded meeting took place on April 11, 2023, during which Tellis and the Chinese officials allegedly discussed Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies over dinner. Additionally, court documents mention that he received a gift bag during a similar dinner engagement with Chinese representatives on September 2 of an unspecified year.

The Justice Department continues to investigate the scope and implications of Tellis’s activities. Federal prosecutors stated that the recovered documents contain highly sensitive information related to U.S. national defence and intelligence operations.

Officials are examining whether the accused traded or shared information with foreign agents and whether any compromised data could have threatened U.S. security interests.

Tellis has been charged under federal statutes dealing with the unlawful retention of defence information, a serious offence that carries potential prison sentences if convicted.

As of mid-October 2025, Tellis remains under federal scrutiny, with no plea or official defence statement released publicly. The Justice Department has emphasised the critical nature of the materials found and the ongoing risk assessment to determine any broader breaches resulting from this incident.

The case has raised serious concerns about internal security protocols within U.S. defence and diplomatic departments, particularly regarding contractor access to classified databases and monitoring of personnel with dual institutional affiliations.

Based On ANI Report