Former L3Harris Cyber Executive Charged With Stealing Trade Secrets for Russia

Federal Charges Against Defense Contractor Executive

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally accused a former L3Harris cybersecurity executive of stealing trade secrets and selling them to a buyer in Russia, according to court documents obtained by TechCrunch. The criminal information document, filed on October 14, alleges that Peter Williams stole eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies between April 2022 and August 2025.

Federal Charges Against Defense Contractor Executive
Executive Background and Company Role
Alleged Financial Gains and Forfeiture
Company History and Intelligence Connections
Related Internal Investigation
Legal Proceedings and Responses

Executive Background and Company Role

Sources indicate that Williams served as general manager at Trenchant, a division of defense contractor L3Harris that develops hacking and surveillance tools for Western governments including the United States. According to U.K. business records, the 39-year-old Australian citizen held the position from October 2024 until August 2025 and resided in Washington D.C. during this period.

Former employees reportedly knew Williams by the nickname “Doogie” within the company and had previously told TechCrunch about his arrest, though a Justice Department spokesperson confirmed Williams is not currently in federal custody.

Alleged Financial Gains and Forfeiture

The criminal information document alleges Williams made approximately $1.3 million from the sale of the stolen trade secrets. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking forfeiture of property derived from the alleged crimes. The court filing does not specify the nature of the trade secrets, Williams’ relationship with the two victim companies, or the identity of the alleged Russian buyer.

Company History and Intelligence Connections

Trenchant emerged from L3Harris’s 2018 acquisition of two sister startups, Azimuth and Linchpin Labs, which specialized in developing zero-day exploits. The merged entity continued providing hacking tools to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprising the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand., according to industry developments

Related Internal Investigation

Earlier this week, TechCrunch exclusively reported that Trenchant was investigating a leak of its hacking tools, citing four former employees. One former exploit developer told reporters the company wrongly suspected them of leaking Chrome vulnerability tools, despite their work focusing exclusively on iOS exploits. Sources corroborated that Trenchant compartmentalizes employee access based on their assigned platforms.

Analysts suggest it remains unclear whether this internal leak investigation relates directly to the federal case against Williams.

Legal Proceedings and Responses

An arraignment and plea agreement hearing is scheduled for October 29 in Washington D.C. Williams’ attorney, John Rowley, declined to comment when contacted by TechCrunch. L3Harris representatives did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

The FBI and U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where the case is being prosecuted, reportedly did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Australian Signals Directorate also declined to comment, characterizing the matter as one for U.S. law enforcement.

This article reports on allegations contained in court documents and does not constitute proof of wrongdoing. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.