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A retired Army officer, David Slater, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to share classified information about the Russia-Ukraine war on a foreign dating site. Slater, 64, who worked as a civilian for the Air Force and had top secret clearance, admitted to transmitting sensitive military details to an online contact who claimed to be a woman in Ukraine. He entered his plea before a federal magistrate judge in Omaha on Thursday (July 10).
Slater had access to highly sensitive information during his time at the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He was arrested in March 2024 after it was discovered that he shared information about military targets and Russian capabilities. The plea agreement resulted in two other charges being dropped, and Slater could face between five years and 10 months to seven years and three months in prison. The statutory maximum for the charge is 10 years.
According to court documents, Slater's online contact often requested classified information, referring to him as "my secret informant love" in messages. The identity of the coconspirator and the dating platform remain undisclosed.
U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher will decide whether to accept the plea agreement and determine Slater's sentence, with a hearing scheduled for October 8. Lesley Woods, U.S. attorney for Nebraska, stated that Slater failed in his duty to protect national defense information despite his extensive military experience.