The former U.S. Strategic Command employee accused of sending classified national defense information to a woman in Ukraine is asking to change his plea. David Slater will appear before a judge to request a switch from not guilty to guilty.
An indictment against Slater alleges he shared top secret, secret, and confidential national security information with a woman in Ukraine through a dating website and email. He faces one count of conspiracy to disclose national defense information and two counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information.
McIlree been following this case for over a year and was in the courtroom when Slater pleaded not guilty to all three charges back in March of 2024.
Two prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office are assigned to this case. McIlree called them to ask if a plea agreement was in the works.
"Our office has a policy of not commenting on active cases," they told McIlree.
Stuart Dornan is representing Slater. I contacted Dornan to learn more about why his client is changing his plea, but I have not yet heard back.
Due to the complex handling of the case, motions to extend pretrial filings were granted five times, waiving Slater's right to a speedy trial.
More court documents obtained by KMTV show a trial was supposed to begin in mid-May. However, now that he is changing his plea, the trial has been removed from the court docket.
According to the indictment filed on Feb. 21, 2024, Slater began working at STRATCOM in August 2021, where he had access to classified national security information. As part of his employment, he signed a top-secret non-disclosure agreement on Aug. 23, 2021, and participated in training on handling classified information on Aug. 26, 2021.
According to court documents in February 2022, Slater began an online relationship with a Ukrainian woman that prosecutors say "regularly" asked Slater for classified information.
The indictment also alleges that in March 2022, he provided the woman with information, including military targets in Russia's war against Ukraine, and in April, he shared details about Russia's capabilities related to the invasion of Ukraine.
Slater faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000
A hearing on Slater's anticipated guilty plea is scheduled to occur before Judge Michael Nelson on June 10.
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