Retired Army officer sentenced for leaking secrets
A federal judge in Lincoln, Nebraska sentenced retired Army Lt. Col. David Slater to 70 months in prison for conspiring to transmit classified information about Russia’s war in Ukraine via a foreign online dating platform. Slater, who held a top-secret clearance while working at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, also received a $25,000 fine and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty in July; prosecutors said he shared secret details on targets and Russian capabilities between 2021 and 2022.
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📌 Key Facts
- Sentence: 70 months in prison, $25,000 fine, 1 year supervised release
- Role: USSTRATCOM civilian with top-secret clearance (Aug 2021–Apr 2022) after retiring as a lieutenant colonel
- Method: Shared secret information via a foreign dating site with a coconspirator claiming to be in Ukraine; arrested March 2024
- Charge outcome: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to disclose national defense information; two other counts dropped