EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 22-year-old active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 6, on suspicion of espionage and export violations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Taylor Adam Lee faces charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license.
From May 2025 to present, Lee, with a top secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, established his credentials and sent U.S. defense information to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In June, Lee allegedly sent export-controlled technology information about the M1A2 Abrams tank and offered help to the Russian Federacy, saying “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weakness,” and “At this point, I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I’m there in any way,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in July, Lee allegedly passed an SD card with information about the tank, another armored fighting vehicle, and combat operations to an individual whom he believed to be a representative of the Russian government.
In addition, other information on the SD card included documents marked as Controlled Unclassified Information and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls. Later in the meeting with Lee, he stated that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said during and after the meeting with Lee in July, he discussed obtaining and providing the Russian government a “specific piece of hardware to a storage unit in El Paso”.
After doing so, Lee sent a message to the individual saying “mission accomplished,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“National security has long been one of the highest priorities of the Justice Department, and here in the Western District of Texas, we remain alert for those who wish to help our adversaries and harm the United States,” U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas said. “Our enemies, both foreign and domestic, should be aware that we diligently investigate and aggressively prosecute these cases. I appreciate the investigative work by our partners in the FBI and the Army Counterintelligence Command, and I look forward to continuing our work with them as we proceed with the prosecution of this important case.”
“Lee allegedly violated his duty to protect the United States in favor of providing national defense information to the Russian government,” Steven J. Jensen, assistant director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said. “The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect U.S. national security and bring to justice those who seek to undermine it.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and the FBI El Paso Field Office.
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