A former US officer who became a civilian contractor in the Air Force after retiring has pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit classified information related to Russia’s war against Ukraine on an online dating platform.
According to Ukrinform, AP reported this.
“David Slater, 64, who had top secret clearance at his job at the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, pleaded guilty to a single count before a federal magistrate judge in Omaha on Thursday,” the statement reads.
Two other charges against him were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.
“I conspired to willfully communicate national defense information to an unauthorized person,” Slater officially stated.
It is stated that he had access to carefully safeguarded secrets in the United States. However, details about the damage he could have caused to national security interests are not disclosed. The prosecution only stated that the defendant failed to fulfill his duty to protect classified information and voluntarily shared it with an unknown person online, despite his many years of military experience, which should have made him suspicious.
The defendant remains free pending sentencing, which is scheduled for October 8.
David Slater reportedly retired from the US Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2020. He then worked in a secret facility at the base from approximately August 2021 to April 2022. He attended intelligence briefings on Russia’s war against Ukraine, which were classified up to top secret.
Photo: Freepik
Source: Former US Army officer pleads guilty to leaking classified information about the war in Ukraine
