Overview
- The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia charged Tellis, 64, with unlawful retention of national defense information under 18 U.S.C. § 793(e) following his weekend arrest.
- An FBI search on October 11 recovered more than 1,000 pages marked top secret or secret at his Vienna, Virginia home, according to a criminal affidavit.
- Court filings say surveillance captured Tellis printing and removing classified material from State and Defense Department facilities in late September and October, including pages from a 1,288‑page U.S. Air Force document.
- The affidavit describes multiple meetings with Chinese government officials between 2022 and 2025, noting a manila envelope he appeared not to leave with and gift bags exchanged, while the current charge concerns retention rather than alleged transfers.
- Tellis’s employer, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, placed him on administrative leave as his lawyers, Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas, said they will vigorously contest the allegations; he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.