The accused, Taylor Adam Lee, is charged with “intentional transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and unauthorized export of technical data without a license,” according to a statement released by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Lee, a 22-year-old soldier based at Fort Bliss in Texas, has not yet entered a plea in response to these charges, which were filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.
John A Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for national security, stated that Lee had attempted to “transmit classified national defense information to Russia,” regarding the operation of the M1A2 Abrams, which is the main battle tank used by the US Army.
In June, Lee allegedly went online and offered his help to Russia in exchange for Russian citizenship. In the messages, Lee, who holds a top-secret security clearance, allegedly “transmitted controlled technical information” about the M1A2’s operation and vulnerabilities.
“The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” Lee reportedly said. “At this point, I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I’m there in any way,” he added.
Roman Rozhavsky, the assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, stated that Lee later shared a memory card containing documents and information about the tank and other military operations during a meeting with someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer in July.
“Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the US – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland,” Rozhavsky said.
The documents contained technical data that Lee was not authorized to provide, with some marked “Controlled Unclassified Information,” according to prosecutors.
“Throughout the meeting, Lee stated that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified,” prosecutors said.
Lee is also accused of attempting to provide the Russian government with a piece of hardware from the M1A2 Abrams tank at a meeting on July 31 at a storage unit in El Paso, Texas.
“After doing so, Lee sent a message to the individual he believed to be a representative of the Russian government stating, ‘Mission accomplished,'” according to prosecutors.
