An active-duty U.S. Army soldier has been arrested and accused of trying to leak classified defense information to Russia, prosecutors said.
Taylor Adam Lee, 22, of El Paso, Texas, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 6, and charged with attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license, the Department of Justice said in a news release.
Starting in May, Lee, who had been stationed at the Fort Bliss base in Texas, allegedly tried to send sensitive information about the Army’s main battle tank to Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
“Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland,” Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, said in the release. “The FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to protect Americans and safeguard classified information.”
Soldier tried to leak information in exchange for Russian citizenship, officials say
Rozhavsky said Lee “allegedly attempted to provide classified military information on U.S. tank vulnerabilities to a person he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer in exchange for Russian citizenship.”
Lee is accused of trying to share information about the operation of the M1A2 Abrams, the Army’s main battle tank.
In July, Lee allegedly met in person with someone he believed to be a representative of the Russian government and passed them an SD card containing information about the M1A2 Abrams and combat operations.
“Throughout the meeting, Lee stated that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified,” the release said.
Lee also allegedly attempted to provide the Russian government with a specific piece of hardware inside the M1A2 Abrams tank. On July 31, he apparently delivered the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso, prosecutors said.
Afterward, in a message to the supposed representative of the Russian government, he allegedly wrote, “Mission accomplished.”
‘The USA is not happy with me,’ the soldier allegedly wrote online
Lee also shared information about the M1A2 Abrams tank online, prosecutors allege.
“The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” Lee allegedly wrote in an online exchange.
He added, “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way.”
Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, said in the release that “this arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army.”
“Soldiers who violate their oath and become insider threats will absolutely be caught and brought to justice, and we will continue to protect Army personnel and safeguard equipment,” Stinchon said. “If anyone on our Army Team sees suspicious activity, you must report it as soon as possible.”
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Soldier Taylor Lee charged with trying to leak information to Russia
