A civilian U.S. Air Force employee was indicted for allegedly sharing classified defense information on a foreign online dating platform about Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Department of Justice announced on Monday.
The big picture: Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel David Franklin Slater, 63, of Nebraska, is accused of sending intel to someone claiming to be a woman living in Ukraine from February-April 2022 — a period during which he was attending classified briefings, per the indictment.
Prosecutors said Slater was working in a classified space at U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)’s Offutt Air Force Base and held a top secret security clearance during the exchanges with the woman, who allegedly called him in emails and on the dating site’s messaging platform her “secret informant love,” “Sweet Dave,” and “secret agent.”
Zoom in: The DOJ alleged in a statement announcing the indictment that Slater “willfully, improperly, and unlawfully” transmitted classified National Defense Information (NDI) that he had learned from briefings to the woman, identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1.”
Military targets and Russian military capabilities relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are among the classified NDI Slater is accused of sending in response to the woman’s requests.
State of play: Slater was arrested on Saturday on charges conspiring to transmit and transmitting classified information relating to the NDI.
Click here to read the full story at Axios.
