The U.S. Department of Justice has charged former L3Harris cyber executive Peter ‘Doogie’ Williams with stealing and selling U.S. defense trade secrets to a Russian buyer for $1.3 million, in a case that exposes potential espionage within America’s cyber defense industry and raises alarm over the security of contractor-managed hacking tools. (Source: Image by RR)

DOJ Alleges Former L3Harris Manager Sold Trade Secrets to Russian Buyer

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Peter Williams, the former head of L3Harris’s cyber division Trenchant, with stealing and selling trade secrets to a Russian buyer for more than $1.3 million, according to newly unsealed court documents. According to an article in techcrunch.com, the 39-year-old Australian national allegedly took classified data from two unnamed companies between 2022 and August 2025 and sold them overseas, in what prosecutors are calling a major breach involving defense-related cyber technology.

Williams, known internally as “Doogie,” served as Trenchant’s general manager from October 2024 until August 2025, overseeing a division that develops hacking and surveillance tools for the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Prosecutors allege that Williams personally profited from the theft and now face forfeiture of assets derived from the illicit sales. While multiple insiders told TechCrunch that Williams had been arrested, the Justice Department confirmed he is not currently in custody. A plea hearing is scheduled for October 29 in Washington, D.C.

Trenchant, formed after L3Harris acquired Azimuth and Linchpin Labs in 2018, was already under scrutiny following reports of a leak of its hacking tools earlier this year. Several former employees told TechCrunch that Williams’ arrest came amid an internal investigation into the leaks, which allegedly included zero-day exploits targeting Google Chrome. However, it remains unclear whether the internal probe and the federal case are connected. The DOJ’s National Security Division is leading the prosecution through its Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Neither L3Harris nor Williams’ attorney provided comment, and the FBI and U.S. District Court have remained silent amid a government shutdown that has hampered federal communications since October 1. The case represents one of the most significant corporate espionage prosecutions in the U.S. defense sector this year, raising concerns about foreign infiltration of critical cybersecurity programs and the security of contractor-managed cyber capabilities.

read more at techcrunch.com