An active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss was arrested Wednesday in El Paso on charges of espionage for allegedly attempting to transmit national defense information about United States tanks to Russia.
The Justice Department announced 22-year-old Taylor Adam Lee, who held a top-secret security clearance, allegedly tried to share sensitive information on the U.S. Army’s M1A2 Abrams tank with someone he believed represented the Russian government. He is accused of passing an SD card filled with controlled technical data and classified material during a July meeting, later delivering what appeared to be tank hardware and texting “Mission accomplished.”
From May to July, Lee allegedly attempted to establish contact with Russia’s Ministry of Defense, offering assistance and stating that he would “even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation,” if given the chance. Prosecutors say he transmitted technical information online in June and met in person the following month with an undercover agent posing as a Russian official.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division said Lee believed he would obtain Russian citizenship in exchange for the classified information.
Lee made his initial court appearance Wednesday, and officials say he could face severe federal penalties if convicted. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Laura Enriquez.
According to the FBI, the SD card contained sensitive documents related to the Abrams tank, other combat vehicles, and U.S. military operations. Several of the files were labeled Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), while others were believed to be classified.
DOJ officials stressed the seriousness of the charges, with Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg saying Lee “sought to transmit sensitive national defense information” to a foreign adversary.
TRUMP HOPES TO MEET WITH PUTIN AS SOON AS NEXT WEEK
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” Brig. Gen. Sean Stinchon of the Army Counterintelligence Command said soldiers who violate their oath and become “insider threats” will always be brought to justice.
Prosecutors from the National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas are handling the prosecution.