A soldier assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas, has been arrested and charged with espionage for allegedly trying to provide the Russian government with sensitive information about M1A2 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles, the Justice Department has announced.
Spc. Taylor Adam Lee, 22, is accused of trying to send the information to Russia’s defense ministry starting in May, according to a Justice Department news release, which also says that Lee holds a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance — one of the highest levels of access granted.
Lee is currently serving as a tank crewman assigned to the 1st Armored Division, Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the division’s commander, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“1st Armored Division will continue to provide support to interagency partners in this case,” said Taylor deferred questions on the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
In June, Lee allegedly transmitted technical information about the M1A2 tank and offered his assistance to the Russians by saying, “The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses;” and, “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way,” the Justice Department news release says.
The news release did not specify with whom Lee was communicating at the time.
Prosecutors claim that Lee gave a secure digital memory card to an unnamed person whom Lee believed worked for the Russian government in July. During an in-person meeting between the two, Lee allegedly gave details about the data on the memory card, including information about M1A2 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles.
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Several of the documents contained controlled technical data that Lee was not authorized to provide, while others were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information, the news release says.
“Throughout the meeting, Lee stated that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified,” the news release says.
Lee also discussed providing the Russian government with a piece of hardware from inside the M1A2 Abrams, according to the Justice Department. On July 31, he delivered what appeared to be the item in question to a storage unit in El Paso, Texas, and then messaged “Mission accomplished” to the person he believed worked for the Russian government.
Lee was arrested and made his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday, a Justice Department news release says. He is charged with attempting to transmit national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempting to export controlled technical data without a license under The Espionage and Arms Export Controls Acts, respectively, court documents show.
Task & Purpose has left a message with Lee’s attorney asking for comment.
The FBI is investigating the case along with help from U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, according to the Justice Department.
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” said Brig. Gen. Sean F. Stinchon, head of Army Counterintelligence Command, said in a statement. “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. If anyone on our Army Team sees suspicious activity, you must report it as soon as possible.”
