A US court has ordered the release of Indian American defence expert Ashley Tellis ahead of his trial on espionage-related charges, while his lawyers described the case as “an overreach against a patriot.”
Tellis, a naturalised US citizen and long-time adviser to Washington, was arrested on October 11 for allegedly removing classified files from a government facility.
He currently works as a consultant with the US State Department and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Investigators said more than a thousand documents marked classified were found at his Virginia home, along with three trash bags containing sensitive material. Court filings also claimed he had met Chinese officials several times in recent years, though it remains unclear whether he shared any classified information.
During a preliminary hearing before Judge Lindsey Robinson Vaala in the Eastern District of Virginia, Tellis’ defence team said the case reflected “misguided suspicion in an era of US-China paranoia.”
They argued that the documents were routine work materials from decades of public service, inadvertently retained rather than deliberately hidden.
“There was no malice, no covert intent – only a lifetime devoted to understanding and strengthening US national security,” his lawyers told the court. They added that Tellis’ meetings with Chinese officials were open academic exchanges and had been fully declared during regular security checks.
The judge approved Tellis’ release under strict conditions, including home detention, local monitoring, and electronic surveillance. He was ordered to surrender his passport and limit internet access. His wife co-signed a $1.5 million secured bond backed by their family home.
Judge Vaala cited Tellis’ long US residency, strong community ties, marriage to a US citizen, and family presence nearby as reasons to believe he posed no flight risk. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 4.
Court records alleged that Tellis accessed, printed, and removed classified Air Force manuals from the Pentagon’s Mark Center in Virginia, disguising one file as “Econ Reform.” Surveillance footage reportedly captured him placing printed material into a briefcase before leaving the facility.
Tellis, who played a key role in negotiating the 2008 India-US civil nuclear deal, previously served on the National Security Council during president George W Bush’s administration. His lawyers say he will fully cooperate with the investigation.
