Federal authorities have arrested a 22-year-old active-duty Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas for allegedly attempting to share classified information about military tanks with Russia. Taylor Adam Lee was taken into custody Wednesday and charged under the Espionage Act with attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary, according to the Justice Department. He also faces charges under the Arms Export Control Act.
According to CBS NEWS, the Justice Department stated that Lee transmitted export-controlled technical information about the M1A2 Abrams Tank online and offered assistance to the Russian Federation. Prosecutors claim that Lee, who held a top-secret security clearance, was attempting to exchange this sensitive military information for Russian citizenship. The charges represent a serious breach of national security involving one of the Army’s most advanced combat vehicles, adding to recent political scandals that have captured public attention.
