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A U.S. Army soldier in Texas with a top security clearance has been charged with handing over sensitive information about the military’s main battle tank in exchange for Russian citizenship.
Taylor Adam Lee, 22, was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license.
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” said Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command.
FORMER CIA ANALYST LEARNS FATE AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO LEAKING HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
The U.S. Army Fort Bliss base stands in El Paso, Texas, U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Adria Malcolm/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors said Lee attempted to hand over information to someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer in exchange for Russian citizenship.
Lee was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso where he held a Top Secret (TS) / Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance, the Justice Department said.
In June, he allegedly transmitted information regarding the M1A2 Abrams tank online and offered assistance to Russia, stating, “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses.”
“At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian Federation when I’m there in any way,” he allegedly said.
During a July meeting between Lee and someone he believed to be a representative of the Russian government, Lee allegedly passed an SD card, which contained documents and information on the Abrams battle tank, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations, prosecutors said.
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE HELD AFTER ATTEMPT TO SHARE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH FOREIGN COUNTRY
The entrance to Fort Bliss and an M1A2 Abrams tank. A soldier at the base is charged with disclosing sensitive data of the battle tank to someone he believed to be working for the Russian government. (Getty Images)
Several documents contained technical data that Lee wasn’t authorized to provide, prosecutors said.
Other documents on the SD card were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls. During the meeting, Lee allegedly said that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified.
Lee also discussed obtaining and providing a specific piece of hardware inside the M1A2 Abrams tank to the Russian government, authorities said. On July 31, he delivered what appeared to be the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso.
He then sent a message to the individual he believed to be a representative of the Russian government stating: “Mission accomplished.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Army.
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“Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to protect Americans and safeguard classified information.”
Lee’s arrest came on the same day that a soldier shot five other soldiers in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, shot five soldiers in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) area of the installation, authorities said.
All the soldiers were treated on-site and then transported to Winn Army Community Hospital, according to Fort Stewart officials. Radford, who has been apprehended, serves as an automated logistics sergeant assigned to the ABCT.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.