WASHINGTON, August 22. /TASS/. A former member of the U.S. Army was arrested on Friday for conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information, the US Department of Justice said in a press release on Friday.

"According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, a former member of the U.S. Army, allegedly conspired with agents of a Russian intelligence service. During that time, Debbins periodically visited Russia and met with Russian intelligence agents," the US Department of Justice said.

"In 2008, after leaving active duty service, Debbins disclosed to the Russian intelligence agents classified information about his previous activities while deployed with the Special Forces. Debbins also provided the Russian intelligence agents with the names of, and information about, his former Special Forces team members so that the agents could evaluate whether to approach the team members to see if they would cooperate with the Russian intelligence service," according to the press release.

The US Department of Justice notes that if convicted, Debbins faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.