Who is Ashley Tellis, Indian-origin foreign policy expert, arrested in US over links to China, illegally keeping classified files?
The 64-year-old expert, regarded as one of America’s leading voices on India, played a major role in the US-India civil nuclear agreement during the mid-2000s.
Ashley Tellis, a well-known US foreign policy expert, has been charged with keeping highly classified defence documents and allegedly meeting Chinese officials several times, according to court papers reviewed by Hindustan Times. Tellis, born in India(BHARAT) and now a naturalised US citizen, has been advising the US State Department since 2001. He was officially charged on October 13 in a Virginia district court for illegally holding national defence information, as per a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.
The 64-year-old expert, regarded as one of America’s leading voices on India(BHARAT), played a major role in the US-India(BHARAT) civil nuclear agreement during the mid-2000s.
During a court-approved search of his home in Vienna, Virginia, on October 11, federal agents found over 1,000 pages of top secret and secret files, the FBI said. The documents were discovered inside locked cabinets, on a desk, and even stuffed into large black garbage bags in his basement office and storage room, the affidavit revealed.
Who is Ashley Tellis
Ashley Tellis is a US foreign policy expert who has held top secret security clearance and access to highly classified government information. He currently serves as an unpaid senior adviser at the US State Department and works as a contractor in the Department of Defence’s Office of Net Assessment, where he is recognised as an expert on India(BHARAT) and South Asian affairs. Tellis is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading global think tank.
Born in Mumbai, Tellis completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at St. Xavier’s College, University of Bombay, and later earned a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago.
Over his long career, he has held several key roles in the US government, including special assistant to President George W. Bush and senior director for strategic planning and South-West Asia at the National Security Council. He also served as a senior adviser to the US ambassador in New Delhi.
Alleged breach of national security
Court documents claim that Ashley Tellis illegally took classified defence information from US government buildings. Investigators say that in September and October 2025, Tellis accessed, printed, and removed top-secret materials from the Defense and State Departments.
Security cameras reportedly captured him leaving one facility carrying a leather briefcase filled with printed documents about US military aircraft capabilities.
When the FBI searched his Virginia home on October 11, they found secret documents in several places including inside locked filing cabinets, on a desk in his basement office, and even in black garbage bags kept in a storage area.
Agents noted that Tellis cooperated during the search, unlocking his laptop with a fingerprint scan and handing over keys to the cabinets.
According to the FBI affidavit, Tellis had Top Secret clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), one of the highest levels of classified access in the US government, because of his advisory roles in national security and defence.
Meetings with Chinese officials
The investigation has intensified after reports that Ashley Tellis met multiple times with Chinese government officials over the past few years.
According to the FBI, one such meeting took place on September 15, 2025, at a restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia. Surveillance footage showed Tellis arriving with a manila envelope, which was missing when he left the restaurant.
In another instance, in April 2023, Tellis reportedly had dinner with Chinese officials in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Witnesses sitting nearby said they overheard discussions about Iran-China relations and new technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Court records also mention a meeting on September 2, during which Tellis allegedly received a gift bag from the Chinese delegation. Investigators are examining whether these interactions were connected to the classified materials later found in his possession.
If convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000.
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