Who is Ashley Tellis? All about Indian-origin expert arrested in US over China links, illegally keeping classified files

ASHLEY Tellis, an Indian-origin US foreign policy expert, was arrested and charged on 13 October for the unlawful retention of national defence information. The affidavit filed against him in a Virginia court details multiple violations of federal law.

It also describes several meetings he allegedly held with Chinese government representatives at restaurants in Fairfax, Virginia, spanning from September 2022 to September 2025, according to the Hindustan Times.

The document notes that during a dinner on 15 September 2022, “Tellis entered the restaurant with a manila envelope” that “did not appear” to be with him when he left. The affidavit further claims that Ashley Tellis and the Chinese officials were overheard talking about topics such as Iranian-Chinese relations and US-Pakistan relations. At one meeting, he was reportedly given a red gift bag by the officials.

Who is Ashley Tellis?

Ashley Tellis, 64, originally from Mumbai, earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from St Xavier’s College under the University of Bombay before completing a PhD in political science at the University of Chicago.

Over the course of his career, he has held several key positions, including serving on the National Security Council as a special assistant to President George W Bush and as senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia. He has also served as a senior adviser to the US ambassador in New Delhi.

Widely recognised as one of the foremost American experts on India, Tellis played a pivotal role in the negotiations of the US-India civil nuclear agreement during the mid-2000s. A naturalised US citizen, he has been an adviser to the State Department since 2001.

Officials from the US President Donald Trump administration, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have pledged to take legal action against those who improperly handle classified information. Meanwhile, a Justice Department statement indicated that if found guilty, Tellis could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined as much as $250,000.

As per a report by Reuters, Lindsey Halligan, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said, “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.”