Fort Bliss soldier accused of spying for Russia makes first court appearance
Update: Taylor Adam Lee, wearing a dark-colored jumpsuit and black glasses with his head shaved, sat quietly throughout the hearing.
He did not speak but took notes and watched the attorneys as they spoke.
Prosecutors presented the U.S. government’s case against Lee and called FBI Special Agent Nicholas Napoli to the stand.
Napoli testified that the FBI began investigating Lee in May 2025 after Lee called the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. multiple times.
An undercover FBI agent later began communicating with Lee through encrypted messaging apps.
On June 2, Lee allegedly offered to provide “armored operations information, first-hand knowledge, and operator experience on the M1 Abrams platform,” in exchange for safe travel to Russia and “support” to get there.
Lee also said he had additional sensitive information to share “more securely.”
Napoli said Lee later told the undercover agent he could reveal “weak points” in U.S. military vehicles and share details of his military training.
On June 9, when asked to confirm his identity, Lee allegedly directed the agent to a military website showing his security clearance.
Lee was taken into custody at a bus stop a the parking lot at the El Paso International Airport on August 6.
Court records show that during an in-person meeting with another undercover agent — whom Lee believed was connected to the Russian government — Lee pulled a micro SD card out from under his watch.
The FBI agent testified that the card contained classified documents related to U.S. military vehicles, each marked with warnings that the information was not to be shared outside the U.S. government.
Lee’s defense attorney declined to comment following today’s proceedings.
The hearing was adjourned after nearly an hour, and is scheduled to resume tomorrow at 11 a.m.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 22-year-old active-duty Fort Bliss soldier Taylor Adam Lee, is set to make his first appearance at the U.S. Western District of Texas Courthouse Monday morning.
Officials with the 1st Armored Division confirmed that Lee is a specialist. He is a tank crewman, according to the spokesperson. Read the division's complete statement below:
"Spc. Taylor Adam Lee, 22, a tank crewman assigned to the 1st Armored Division, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) El Paso Field Office on Aug. 6 on criminal charges of attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license. 1st Armored Division will continue to provide support to interagency partners in this case. Please direct further inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas at usatxw.mediainquiry@usdoj.gov."
1st Armored Division
Lee is facing federal criminal charges for the attempted transmission of national defense information to a person Lee thought was a Russian Ministry of Defense representative.
Lee is also charged with attempted export of controlled technical data without a license. He holds a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance.
Federal prosecutors say that from May 2025 to now, "Lee sought to establish his U.S. Army credentials and send U.S. defense information to Russia’s Ministry of Defense." In June 2025, Lee allegedly sent information on the M1A2 Abrams Tank and offered help to the Russian Federation.
"The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” Lee stated in June 2025, according to federal prosecutors. “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way.”
A person Lee thought represented the Russian government met with him in-person last month. During that meeting, Lee allegedly passed an SD card containing information on the tank, armored fighting vehicles used by the U.S., and combat operations to the person.
"Several of these documents contained controlled technical data that Lee did not have the authorization to provide," federal prosecutors explained. "Other documents on the SD card were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls. Throughout the meeting, Lee stated that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely classified."
During the in-person meeting in July, prosecutors say that Lee also offered to bring the representative a piece of hardware from inside the tank. Lee allegedly took the piece of hardware to a storage unit in El Paso on July 31, 2025. He included a message stating "Mission accomplished," officials say.
Prosecutors did not give any details on the actual identity of the person Lee thought was a representative of the Russian government.
“Lee allegedly violated his duty to protect the United States in favor of providing national defense information to the Russian government,” said Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect U.S. national security and bring to justice those who seek to undermine it.”
