Who is Ashley Tellis? Indian-origin US defence expert arrested over China links

Renowned defence strategist and US foreign policy expert Ashley J. Tellis was arrested for illegally retaining classified documents and allegedly meeting Chinese government officials on multiple occasions, reports said on Wednesday.

 

The Justice Department alleged that Tellis, 64, unlawfully retained national defence information, including more than a thousand pages of top secret documents. Federal investigators allegedly recovered these documents from his home in Vienna, Virginia.

 

He was arrested over the weekend and formally charged on Monday.

 

If convicted, Tellis is subject to a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment and forfeiture, according to a release issued by the US Attorney's Office in Virginia.

 

A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

"We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens," said US Attorney Lindsey Halligan.

 

"The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served," she said.

 

Born in Mumbai, Tellis is a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An expert on India and South Asia, he has served as an advisor to the State Department since 2011 under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

 

According to reports, he holds a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information.

 

Tellis obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St Xavier’s College at the University of Bombay. He later completed his PhD in political science from the University of Chicago. 

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