More than a thousand confidential documents were found in the home of a government advisor

The US Department of Justice has charged a senior State Department advisor and expert on India and South Asia with printing secret documents and keeping more than a thousand pages of highly sensitive government records inside file cabinets and trash bags at his home.

The department said that Ashley Tillis, who also worked as a contractor for the Network Evaluation Office in the US Department of Defense, was charged with illegally retaining information related to national defense before a federal court in Virginia, after FBI agents searched his home last weekend what they described as a large collection of documents classified within the secret and top secret levels.

The court ordered his detention on Tuesday until a hearing is held next week to consider the possibility of his release. “We look forward to the hearing where we will be able to present our evidence,” his lawyer, Deborah Curtis, told The Associated Press, declining to comment further.

The FBI affidavit stated that during the past month, Tillis printed, or asked a colleague to print, classified documents using government computers, related to topics including the capabilities of US military aircraft. Surveillance recordings showed that he was seen on several occasions leaving the State Department building and a Department of Defense facility carrying a bag inside which he believed he had hidden printed papers, according to court documents.

The affidavit also indicated that Tillis held several meetings with Chinese government officials in recent years. At the 2022 dinner, Tillis attended carrying a yellow folder, while Chinese officials entered carrying a gift bag. The affidavit added that Telles did not have the file when he left the restaurant, but it did not accuse him of handing over any confidential information during his meetings with the Chinese. (The Middle East)

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