
Retired U.S. army officer pleads guilty to sharing classified info on Russia-Ukraine war on dating site
A retired U.S. army officer who worked as a civilian for the U.S. air force has pleaded guilty to conspiring to transmit classified information about Russia's war with Ukraine on a foreign online dating platform.
David Slater, 64, who had top secret clearance at his job at the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, pleaded guilty to a single count before a federal magistrate judge in Omaha on Thursday. In exchange for his guilty plea, two other counts were dropped.
Slater remains free pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 8. Prosecutors and his lawyers agreed that he should serve between five years and 10 months and seven years and three months in prison, and the government will recommend a term at the low end of that range. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher will ultimately decide whether to accept the plea agreement and will determine Slater's sentence.
'I conspired to willfully communicate national defense information to an unauthorized person,' Slater said in a handwritten note on his petition to change his plea.
Slater had access to some of the country's most closely held secrets, John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.
'Access to classified information comes with great responsibility,' said Lesley Woods, the U.S. attorney for Nebraska, said in the same statement. '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.'
Slater retired from the U.S. army as a lieutenant colonel in 2020 and worked in a classified space at the base from around August 2021 until around April 2022. He attended briefings about the Russia-Ukraine war that were classified up to top secret, court documents say. He was arrested in March of 2024.
In his plea agreement, he acknowledged that he conspired to transmit classified information that he learned from those briefings via the foreign dating website's messaging platform to an unnamed co-conspirator, who claimed to be a woman living in Ukraine. The information, classified as secret, pertained to military targets and Russian military capabilities, according to the plea agreement.
'Defendant knew and had reason to believe that such information could be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of a foreign nation,' the agreement states.
According to the original indictment, the co-conspirator regularly asked Slater for classified information. She called him, 'my secret informant love!' in one message. She closed another by saying, 'You are my secret agent. With love.' In another, she wrote, 'Dave, I hope tomorrow NATO will prepare a very pleasant 'surprise' for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin! Will you tell me?'
Court documents don't identify the co-conspirator, or say whether she was working for Ukraine or Russia. They also don't identify the dating platform.
Amy Donato, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Omaha, said Monday that she couldn't provide that information. Slater's attorney, Stuart Dornan, didn't immediately return a call seeking further details.
By Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CTV News
16 hours ago
- CTV News
Authorities identify Ohio man who died in shooting after he wounded 3 police officers
This aerial image taken from video provided by WEWS shows police working at the scene of shooting after police officers were wounded and a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire early Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2025, in an industrial area of Lorain, Ohio. (WEWS via AP) LORAIN, Ohio — The shooter of three Ohio police officers in an ambush attack was identified Thursday by the Lorain County Coroner's Office as 28-year-old Michael Parker. The coroner's office said an autopsy is planned for Parker, who died as a result of the shooting in Lorain on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say they believe Parker acted alone when he used a high-powered rifle to shoot and wound three city officers — Phillip Wagner, 35; Peter Gale, 51; and Brent Payne, 47. Parker's home was searched for more than five hours Wednesday night. A neighbor said officers broke an upstairs window and flew in a drone during the search. Just before the ambush, Wagner and Gale had parked to eat pizza on a dead-end street in an undeveloped industrial area in Lorain, a city west of Cleveland on Lake Erie. Payne was shot after responding to their call for help, acting Police Chief Michael Failing said. Two of the officers suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were in critical condition after being flown to a trauma center, according to a statement issued by the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police. The other officer was shot in the hand, Failing said. It was not immediately clear whether Parker was killed by return fire or killed himself, police said. Failing said Parker was found to have had 'an arsenal' of weapons with him. Parker lived with his parents in a tidy, two-story brick home along the lake. Neighbors said Thursday they often saw him walking the family dog to the nearby beach, but he rarely engaged in conversation, and never saw him with friends. 'He was just an odd character,' said Jody Burnsworth, who has lived next door to the family since 2012. 'He wasn't rude. He was just always quiet. When he walked he looked like he was always ultra-focused on something.' She said she always had an uneasy feeling about him, never opening her bedroom drapes on the side of the house that faced his home. 'I hate that I thought that,' she said. 'He kind of gave me the creeps. Sometimes he would just look at you in an odd way.' Burnsworth said that during the past year he was hired at the post office but soon quit because the work was too difficult. During the search, a tactical vehicle pulled up outside the house and officers broke out an upstairs window before flying a drone inside, Burnsworth said. Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. John Seewer And Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press


CBC
16 hours ago
- CBC
Hulk Hogan, iconic pro wrestling star, dead at 71
Hulk Hogan, who helped lead professional wrestling's rise in popularity in the 1980s and beyond, has died, Florida police and World Wrestling Entertainment said Thursday. He was 71. "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away," the organization said in a statement. "One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans. Born Terry Bollea, Hogan began wrestling in the mid-1970s. His popularity soared in 1984 after he defeated the Iron Sheik to win the heavyweight championship of what was then called the World Wrestling Federation. He continued to feature as star for the organization, including at WrestleMania appearances in Toronto in 1990 and 2002. Though mainly cast as a patriotic hero, he took a turn as a villain during a 1990s stint with the rival National Wrestling Alliance. Paving the way for current stars Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson and John Cena, Hogan also appeared on screen in fictional roles in Rocky III, Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny. From 2005-07, he joined the reality television trend with Hogan Knows Best, starring his then-wife and two children. In a significant legal battle, he reached a $31 million US settlement with Gawker in 2016 after the online publication released a video clip of Hogan and a woman in bed. According to the police statement, fire and police in Clearwater, Fla., responded to a medical call at 9:51 a.m. ET., with the nature of call being cardiac arrest.


CTV News
16 hours ago
- CTV News
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan dead at 71: WWE
Hulk Hogan on stage before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Retired American professional wrestler Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71, the WWE said in a statement Thursday. This is a breaking news story. Check back for more information.