A civilian employee of the Air Force and former Army lieutenant colonel was indicted Monday for allegedly sharing top secret and classified intel online regarding U.S. plans around the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
David Franklin Slater was employed at the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), where he had access to top-secret briefings and intel on the war, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Slater had clearance to attend the briefings and signed a non-disclosure agreement upon his employment in August 2021.
The facility where Slater was employed is tasked with nuclear deterrence and nuclear command and control, as reported by CBS. USSTRATCOM is headquartered at Offutt Air Base in Nebraska.
The indictment alleges that Slater shared intel through an online dating website’s messaging platform with a “co-conspirator” who claimed to be a female living in Ukraine. The indictment claims that the co-conspirator regularly requested top secret, secret, and confidential information about U.S. intelligence and that Slater provided intel in violation of his training and the NDA.
“Certain responsibilities are incumbent to individuals with access to Top Secret information. The allegations against Mr. Slater challenge whether he betrayed those responsibilities,” said U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr for the District of Nebraska. “We look forward to continuing our work with the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to ensure the safety of our country.”
The indictment shows that the co-conspirator called Slater her “secret agent” and “secret informant love.”
“Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting,” read a message from the co-conspirator dated March 11, 2022, according to the indictment.
Another message reads, “Dave, I hope tomorrow NATO will prepare a very unpleasant ‘surprise’ for Putin! Will you tell me?”
“The FBI investigates those who choose to illegally use their access to classified information to put our national security at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office. “When people violate the trust given to them to safeguard our nation’s intelligence, they put our country at risk. We will continue working shoulder to shoulder with our partners to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution by safeguarding our country’s classified information.”
The indictment includes one count for conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts for unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. If convicted, Slater could face 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of conspiracy to transmit and the transmission of national defense information. He is due in court for his first appearance before a judge in Omaha on March 5.
The indictment comes just hours after a former Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of transmitting classified intel and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in a Boston courtroom.
