Who Is Ashley Tellis, Indian-Origin US Expert Arrested For Chinese Links, Hoarding Secret Files?

Last Updated:October 15, 2025, 08:34 IST

Dinners between Tellis & Chinese government representatives in 2023 and 2022 have been flagged, with reports of discussions about China-Iran relations & technological developments

Born in Mumbai, Tellis studied at St. Xavier’s College before pursuing advanced degrees in political science at the University of Chicago. (Carnegie Website)

Ashley Tellis, an Indian-origin policy scholar and long time advisor on US-India affairs, was arrested this week in Virginia and faces federal charges for allegedly retaining classified national defence documents and holding unauthorised meetings with Chinese officials.

Born in Mumbai, Tellis studied at St. Xavier’s College before pursuing advanced degrees in political science at the University of Chicago. According to India Today, Tellis built a reputation over decades in Washington as a trusted voice on South Asia, holding roles in government and think tanks.

He has also served on the US National Security Council under former President George W Bush and has been engaged as an adviser to the State Department, the Economic Times reported. Tellis is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, holding the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs, according to a Times of India report. The scholar’s Chinese links have stunned many in diplomatic and academic communities, given his involvement across administrations and policy circles in Washington, New Delhi, and Beijing.

As per an unsealed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) affidavit, Tellis is accused of accessing and printing sensitive documents from US Defence and State Department offices in September and October 2025. Reuters reported that surveillance footage allegedly shows him leaving with a leather briefcase, presumed to contain classified files.

When FBI agents searched his home in Vienna, Virginia, they reportedly recovered more than 1,000 pages of documents marked “Top Secret" or “Secret". TOI reported that these were discovered in locked filing cabinets, his basement office, and even in black trash bags stored in various parts of the house.

An AP report said prosecutors also point to multiple meetings between Tellis and Chinese government representatives over recent years. In one incident from mid-September 2025, he was seen arriving at a Fairfax, Virginia, restaurant with a manila envelope, which was not visible when he left. Earlier dinners in 2023 and 2022 are also flagged, with reports of discussions about China’s relations with Iran, technological developments, and speculative exchanges of gifts or documents, India Today reported.

Though no formal charge of espionage has been made yet, the accusations include violating US laws against unlawful retention of national defence information. If convicted, Tellis could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

US Attorney Lindsey Halligan described the alleged actions as posing “a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens". A judge has ordered that Tellis be held pending a detention hearing. Tellis’ legal team has declined further comment while gearing up to challenge the charges, AP reported.

Observers point out that Tellis’s roles have spanned both Republican and Democratic administrations, which raises questions about oversight of security clearances and the handling of classified material by external advisers.

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News world Who Is Ashley Tellis, Indian-Origin US Expert Arrested For Chinese Links, Hoarding Secret Files?

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