Retired US Army officer charged for leaking secrets on dating site

As stated in the indictment published on Monday, Slater, now a civilian employee of the Air Force assigned to the United States Strategic Command at Offutt Base in Nebraska, was passing on information marked as "secret" at the request of a woman he met on a foreign dating site from February to April 2022.

According to investigators, the woman, who claimed to be living in Kyiv, Ukraine, "regularly requested sensitive, non-public, well-protected, and classified information regarding national defence," to which Slater had access, including during briefings on the war in Ukraine.

The indictment did not reveal the woman's identity or mention her connections with foreign services. Slater faces three charges, for which he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to £200,000 for each charge. The first hearing in his case, where conditions of any possible release from custody will be determined, will take place on Tuesday.

- Mr. Slater (...) knowingly transmitted classified national defence information to another person with flagrant disregard for his country's security and his oath to protect its secrets - emphasised Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew Olsen.

The case was revealed on the same day when another high-profile leaker, National Guard soldier Jack Teixeira admitted in court to publishing hundreds of secret documents on social media, including about the war in Ukraine.

A 22-year-old has reached a plea agreement with the prosecution and will spend 16 years in prison. Investigators found no evidence of espionage in this case, claiming that Teixeira wanted to impress his online acquaintances.