In a startling breach of U.S. national security, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel David Franklin Slater is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to willfully sharing classified military information with a Ukrainian woman he met on a dating app. The Department of Justice confirmed that Slater transmitted sensitive details between February and April 2022, during the early months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Slater, who served in Afghanistan and Germany, retired from the Army in December 2020 but continued to work as a civilian employee with top security clearance at the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska until April 2022. Prosecutors revealed that he exchanged messages with a woman claiming to be Ukrainian, who addressed him affectionately as her “secret informant love” and “secret agent,” coaxing him into sharing confidential defense information.
Among the intelligence Slater shared were details related to Russian military capabilities, NATO operational plans, and travel movements of U.S. senators and NATO officials visiting Ukraine. On one occasion, he confirmed that NATO members were traveling by train before the news was publicly reported. The woman thanked him for information about U.S. delegations to Kyiv, referencing Republican Senator Steve Daines and Representative Victoria Spartz’s April 2022 visit.
The Department of Justice stated that the information Slater provided was classified as “SECRET,” capable of harming national security or benefiting foreign powers. Investigators confirmed that Slater had attended TS//SCI (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information) briefings concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and willingly disclosed material he was duty-bound to protect.
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said, “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. The Department of Justice stands ready to hold accountable those who violate their obligation to protect sensitive national security information.”
U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods emphasized the severity of the breach, stating that Slater’s actions were a betrayal of decades of service and security protocols: “Access to classified information comes with great responsibility. David Slater failed in his duty by willingly sharing national defense information with an unknown online personality.”
Slater was arrested in March 2024 and formally pleaded guilty in July 2025. His sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2025. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
