Wed Oct 15 05:21:57 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE:**

**Indian-Born U.S. Foreign Policy Scholar Arrested on Espionage Charges**

**Washington D.C. -** Ashley J. Tellis, a prominent Indian-born American foreign policy scholar and consultant to the U.S. State Department, has been arrested and charged with unlawfully retaining classified defense documents and holding undisclosed meetings with Chinese officials. The arrest has sent shockwaves through the foreign policy community, particularly those following U.S.-India relations.

According to court filings in the Eastern District of Virginia, Mr. Tellis is accused of removing sensitive materials from secure government facilities and storing them at his residence in Vienna, Virginia. The Department of Justice has charged him with one count of unlawful retention of national defense information, a charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of ten years.

The criminal complaint alleges that on September 25th, surveillance footage captured Mr. Tellis browsing classified U.S. Air Force and defense documents on a State Department computer, printing hundreds of pages, renaming the digital file, and subsequently deleting it. Further, he is accused of attending a secure Pentagon briefing the following evening, carrying a briefcase, and placing printed pages into notepads before leaving.

An FBI search of Mr. Tellis’s home on October 11th reportedly uncovered over 1,000 pages marked “top secret” or “secret” from various locations throughout the house.

Adding further intrigue to the case, the FBI affidavit documents multiple meetings between Mr. Tellis and individuals associated with the Chinese government at various locations in Fairfax County, Virginia, between 2022 and 2025. Authorities are scrutinizing these meetings as part of the investigation.

Born in Mumbai in 1961, Mr. Tellis is a highly respected figure in the field of international relations. He holds the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has held positions in both academia and government. He served as a senior adviser at the American embassy in New Delhi and as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Planning and Southwest Asia during the George W. Bush administration, positions that significantly impacted U.S. policy toward South Asia. His expertise lies in nuclear strategy, defense policy, and U.S.-India relations, and he played a key role in the U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

Mr. Tellis was arraigned on October 13th and released on bond. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia is preparing for potential trial.

Read More