A U.S. soldier at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, has been arrested and charged with espionage for trying to sell national defense secrets to Russia, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
Taylor Adam Lee, 22, in 2025 allegedly transmitted export-controlled technical information on the M1A2 Abrams tank online and offered assistance to the Russian Federation, 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 also passed an SD card to a person believed to be a representative of the Russian government and provided "a detailed overview of the documents and information contained on the SD card, including documents and information on the M1A2 Abrams, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. military, and combat operations," according to the DOJ.
"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 in a press release.
"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."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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