OMAHA, Neb. — A 64-year-old civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force has pleaded guilty to conspiring to disclose classified national defense information to an individual he believed was a foreign national on an online dating platform, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
David Franklin Slater, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel working at U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base, admitted to transmitting classified information between February and April 2022 through a messaging platform on a foreign dating website. The individual he messaged claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine.
Court documents state that Slater, who held a Top Secret security clearance, shared sensitive material classified as “SECRET,” including details on military targets and Russian capabilities tied to the invasion of Ukraine. Investigators said the individual referred to Slater as her “secret informant love” and “secret agent.”
Slater gained access to the information through TS//SCI-level briefings at USSTRATCOM. He was arrested after an investigation by the FBI Omaha Field Office and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for October 8.