Air Force employee indicted for disclosing classified information on foreign dating site: ‘You are my secret informant love!’
A civilian US Air Force employee with a top secret security clearance used a foreign dating website to transmit classified national defense information to a person claiming to be a woman living in Ukraine, according to the Justice Department.
David Franklin Slater, 63, was arrested Saturday after being indicted on charges of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and unauthorized disclosure of national defense information.
He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Slater was assigned to US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska when he began communicating with his unnamed co-conspirator.
Their online relationship lasted from roughly February 2022 until April 2022, a period during which Slater attended top secret briefings on Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to the DOJ.
The three-count indictment against Slater alleges that the person he was communicating with on the dating site “regularly asked” the Air Force employee “to provide her with sensitive, non-public, closely held, and classified [national defense information]” that he had access to.
“American Intelligence says that already 100% of Russian troops are located on the territory of Ukraine. Do you think this information can be trusted?” Slater’s romantic interest asked him in March 2022, according to the indictment.
“By the way, you were the first to tell me that NATO members are traveling by train and only now (already evening) this was announced on our news. You are my secret informant love!” the person tells Slater in another message sent through the dating site.
“Beloved Dave, do NATO and Biden have a secret plan to help us?” the person asks in another message sent less than a month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The honey trap, referred to as “co-conspirator 1” in the indictment, showed a keen interest in Slater’s comings and goings at the air base.
“Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting,” the person asks Slater in one message.
“How were your meetings? Successfully?” Slater is asked in another communication.
“You have a job in the Operations Center today, I remember, I’m sure there is a lot of interesting news there?” a separate message reads.
One communication included in the indictment suggests that Slater revealed to the purported Ukrainian woman that US officials were headed to Kyiv on or about April 14, 2022, the same day that Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) traveled to the war-torn country, becoming the first US officials to visit Ukraine since the invasion.
“My sweet Dave, thanks for the valuable information, it’s great that two officials from the USA are going to Kyiv,” the person tells Slater in the message.
In other missives, Slater is referred to as a “secret agent” and there appears to be discussions between the two on weapons shipments to Ukraine and a NATO “surprise” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“it’s great that you get information about [Specified Country 1] first. I hope you will tell me right away? You are my secret agent. With love,” the individual tells Slater.
“Sweet Dave, the supply of weapons is completely classified, which is great!” another message from Slater’s co-conspirator reads.
“Dave, I hope tomorrow NATO will prepare a very unpleasant ‘surprise’ for Putin! Will you tell me?” the person asks in another communication.
Slater “indeed provided classified [national defense information] to Co-Conspirator 1,” according to the DOJ.
“For example, on or about March 28, 2022, [Slater] transmitted classified NDI regarding military targets in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and on or about April 13, 2022, [Slater] transmitted classified [national defense information] regarding Russian military capabilities relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the indictment states.
Slater will make his initial court appearance Tuesday in Nebraska.
The DOJ’s announcement of his arrest comes on the same day that disgraced former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixiera pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.
Teixiera is accused of leaking top-secret Pentagon documents detailing intelligence assessments of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a Discord chat room to impress his online friends.