(NEW YORK) — An active duty soldier with the U.S. Army was arrested Wednesday and charged with attempting to share sensitive information about U.S. military tank capabilities with Russia, the Justice Department announced.
Taylor Lee, 22, a soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, is alleged to have transmitted the information to an individual he believed was affiliated with Russia’s government in exchange for Russian citizenship, federal prosecutors said.
Lee was arrested on charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors said Lee, who has a top secret security clearance, sent technical information on the M1A2 Abrams tank and offered his assistance to the Russian Federation in an exchange online in May. In that exchange, prosecutors said Lee stated “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” before adding, “at this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way.”
In July, at an in-person meeting between Lee and the person he apparently believed was a representative of the Russian government, prosecutors said Lee passed an SD memory card to the person, “including documents and information on the M1A2 Abrams, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations,” according to a DOJ press release. “Several of these documents contained controlled technical data that Lee did not have the authorization to provide.”
In another instance detailed in charging documents, Lee allegedly delivered hardware from inside an M1A2 Abram’s tank to a storage unit located in El Paso, Texas, and then texted the individual he believed was a Russian agent, “Mission accomplished.”
Lee has not yet entered a plea to any of the charges.
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” said Brig. Gen. Sean F. Stinchon, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command. “Thanks to the hard work of Army Counterintelligence Command Special Agents and our FBI partners, 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.”
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