A former colonel is accused of revealing American secrets on foreign dating sites
Image source, Getty Images
The former military man shared confidential information with a contact on a dating site.
- author, Max Matza
- Role, BBC News
A retired US Army colonel has been charged in Nebraska with sharing confidential information through an international dating portal.
David Franklin Slater (63 years old) worked until 2022 in the United States Strategic Command (stratcom), which oversees the country's nuclear missile arsenal.
Slater was arrested last Saturday, March 2.
Authorities said he illegally transferred documents that “could be used to the detriment of the United States.”
The charging record indicates that Slater passed on information he obtained in classified Stratcom briefings related to it Russian invasion of UkraineFor someone who thinks he is a woman in Ukraine.
In their letters, prosecutors said, he frequently asked him about U.S. national defense secrets.
“Dear, what is shown on the screens in the private room? “It's interesting,” a message sent on March 11, 2022, said.
“You are my secret agent. With love,” the contact said on March 23 of the same year after requesting information about a specific country.
However, investigators removed the country's name from court documents.
Dear Dave, Thank you for the valuable information. You are my secret love informant!“The contact said in other messages.
The documents do not specify who Slater was speaking to or the name of the dating portal.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Image source, Getty Images
Slater attended classified Stratcom briefings related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Betrayal of responsibilities
US Attorney for the District of Nebraska, Susan Lear, said: “Certain responsibilities apply to people who have access to highly classified information.”
“The accusations against Slater lead us to question whether he has betrayed those responsibilities.”
The retired soldier is accused One count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. He could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted.
It is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
The indictment was announced hours after Jack Teixeira, a US Air National Guard pilot in Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to six counts of unlawfully retaining and transmitting national defense information.
Teixeira could face up to 16 years in prison.
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