A civilian U.S. Air Force employee in Nebraska was arrested on Saturday after a three-count federal indictment alleged that he used a dating website to send classified materials to a co-conspirator who identified herself as a Ukrainian national.
Retired Army Lt. Colonel, David Slater, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for charges of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and unauthorized dissemination offenses.
The 63-year-old was working for a U.S. Strategic Command unit at Offutt Air Force Base when prosecutors say he started an online relationship with an unnamed woman who “regularly asked” him to provide her with sensitive and non-public data relating to the war in Ukraine.
Charging documents note that the communications that were transferred included intelligence on Russian military capabilities and targeting reconnaissance that could be used by Kiev. The instruments in question were designated as high as Top Secret.
Court filings have said that Slater was referred to as the woman’s “secret agent” and “secret informant love.”
The activity was reported to have taken place between February and April of 2022.
Slater is expected to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
