A civilian U.S. Air Force employee in Nebraska is accused of sharing top-secret military information on a foreign dating website with a person claiming to be a woman living in Ukraine.
David Franklin Slater, 63, was arrested Saturday after allegedly conspiring to transmit and transmitting classified information about Russia’s war on Ukraine to the unnamed individual over a three-month period in early 2022, which is when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
“Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting,” one message sent to Slater in March read, according to a copy of the three-count federal indictment.
“You have a job in the Operations Center today, I remember, I’m sure there is a lot of interesting news there?” another message read.
Slater, dubbed the person’s “Secret informant love” and “secret agent,” became employed in a classified area at the Offutt Air Force Base, south of Omaha, in 2021 after retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the Army the year prior. He was assigned to the United States Strategic Command at the base and attended classified briefings regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine from February to April 2022, according to the indictment.
In messages allegedly exchanged between the pair, the individual asked for information about classified briefings and military strategies that could impact Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assault.
“Dave, I hope tomorrow NATO will prepare a very unpleasant ‘surprise’ for Putin! Will you tell me?” one message cited in the indictment read.
“Sweet Dave, the supply of weapons is completely classified, which is great!” read another.
Another message applauded Slater for allegedly sharing information about NATO members’ movement by train before it was announced publicly on the news.
“You are my secret informant love! How were your meetings? Successfully?” the message read.
Slater, whose initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to transmit and the transmission of national defense information. He did not have an attorney listed.
“When people violate the trust given to them to safeguard our nation’s intelligence, they put our country at risk,” Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office said in a statement responding to the charges. “We will continue working shoulder to shoulder with our partners to protect the American people and uphold the constitution by safeguarding our country’s classified information.”