Indian-origin strategic expert Ashley Tellis was arrested in America in connection with top secret files.Ashley Tellis, a prominent Indian-American analyst and longtime adviser on South Asia policy, has been arrested for allegedly submitting classified documents and meeting with Chinese government officials, according to court files unsealed this week.The Justice Department said Ashley Tellis, 64, unlawfully possessed national defense information, including more than a thousand pages of highly classified and classified documents found at her home in Vienna, Virginia.
Read this also: Ravi Naik Passes Away | Goa political veteran and former CM Ravi Naik dies of heart attack, PM Modi expressed deep grief
Tellis, 64, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs, was taken into custody over the weekend following a federal investigation into his handling of contraband government materials. Prosecutors allege that Tellis violated 18 USC § 793(e), which prohibits the unauthorized possession or retention of defense-related documents.
Investigators are also looking into allegations that Tellis removed classified documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials.U.S. Attorney Lindsay Halligan announced the charges in a press release, saying the alleged conduct posed a “serious threat to the safety of our citizens.” If convicted, Tellis could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and forfeiture of related materials. The government insisted that the complaint was an accusation and that Tellis would be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Read this also: India and Mongolia Relation | India will increase relations with spiritual neighbor Mongolia, message from Indian President Murmu
Who is Ashley Tellis?
An experienced policy strategist who joined the US government in 2001, Tellis has advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on India and South Asia. His arrest comes as the Trump administration and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have taken a tough stance on the misuse of classified material and promised to prosecute perpetrators “without exception.”
Born in Mumbai, Tellis studied at St. Xavier’s College before pursuing a PhD from the University of Chicago. He also has an MA in Political Science from the University of Chicago. Over the years, Tellis had become a fixture in the US-India-China policy arena – a familiar face on panels and a respected voice whose writings were closely followed in both Washington, New Delhi and Beijing.
Alleged violation of national security
Court records allege that Tellis accessed, printed and deleted classified materials from both Defense and State Department buildings in September and October 2025. Surveillance footage reportedly showed him leaving an establishment with a leather briefcase after printing confidential files related to the capabilities of US military aircraft.
A search warrant issued on October 11 found classified papers stashed in several locations in his home – including a locked filing cabinet, a desk in his basement office, and black garbage bags in a storage room.Investigators say Tellis cooperated during the search, opening a laptop with his fingerprints and turning over the keys to a filing cabinet.According to an FBI affidavit, Tellis had a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive information due to his government roles.
meeting with Chinese officials
The case is gaining more attention because Tellis has reportedly met with Chinese government officials several times in recent years.According to the FBI, one such meeting took place on September 15, 2025, at a restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia. Agents reported that Tellis was seen carrying a manila envelope, which he did not have when he left.
Another dinner conversation in April 2023 in the suburbs of Washington, DC, was overheard by bystanders who said Tellis and Chinese officials discussed Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.Court documents also mention a September 2 meeting in which Tellis allegedly received a gift bag from Chinese officials.In a statement, US Attorney Lindsay Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia said: “We are deeply focused on protecting the American people from all foreign and domestic threats. The charges brought in this case pose a serious threat to the safety of our citizens.”
If convicted, Tellis could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said.
Tellis warns that India’s multipolar approach is more ambition than potential
It is noteworthy that Tellis had written in Foreign Affairs on June 17 that India’s bid for a multipolar world may be more ambition than potential, and warned that there were many challenges in its path.
Tellis has written that India is far behind China on the economic front. Even if China’s economy slows down to a “glacial” growth rate of 2 percent, India will still not be able to match it. Despite US support being central to India’s global aspirations, Tellis argues in his essay “India’s Superpower Illusion” that “New Delhi will continue to try to push the international order towards multipolarity, even if Washington does not want it.”
He also warned that India’s internal politics could weaken its global position. Tellis said that if the country continues on its political path, it will cease to be a model of liberal democracy at a time when the world needs it most.He warned, “Indeed, if both India and the United States continue to be liberal democracies, the post-war order – which had worked well for both countries, despite their complaints – will be seriously damaged.”