David Franklin Slater, a civilian employee at USSTRATCOM, guilty of conspiracy to share classified national defense information on a dating platform from February to April 2022. Accessing sensitive secrets, he shared this information with someone posing as a foreigner. DOJ officials emphasize accountability for such breaches of national security. Slater, despite extensive military experience, did not recognize the risk of his actions. His betrayal of trust potentially endangered national security, according to federal officials who continue to investigate such threats to the homeland.
"The defendant, an employee of the United States Air Force with access to some of our Nation's most closely held secrets, shared classified information with someone claiming to be a foreigner on an online dating platform," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
"Access to classified information comes with great responsibility. David Slater failed in his duty to protect this information by willingly sharing National Defense Information with an unknown online personality despite having years of military experience that should have caused him to be suspicious of that person's motives," said U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods for the District of Nebraska.
"Mr. Slater betrayed an oath he made to safeguard our nation's intelligence," said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office. "Leveraging his access to sensitive information, Mr. Slater chose to transmit material that put our country at risk."
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