The U.S. government has accused a former executive at L3Harris, a defense contractor, of stealing trade secrets and allegedly selling them to a buyer in Russia. This case was revealed through court documents seen by TechCrunch. On October 14, the Department of Justice alleged that Peter Williams had stolen eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies. The accusation was formally presented in a “criminal information” document, which signals alleged crimes, similar to an indictment.

Details on the Allegation and Timeline

The court document does not clarify Williams’ relationship with the companies involved, nor does it reveal the exact nature of the stolen trade secrets or the Russian buyer’s identity. However, TechCrunch confirmed that Williams, referenced in the documents, was the former general manager at Trenchant—an L3Harris unit developing hacking and surveillance technology for Western governments, including the U.S.

Williams began working as general manager at Trenchant on October 23, 2024, and left on August 21, 2025, according to U.K. business records. He is a 39-year-old Australian citizen who lived in Washington, D.C. Four ex-Trenchant employees said Williams, nicknamed “Doogie,” was arrested. The Justice Department spokesperson, however, stated that Williams is not currently in federal custody.

The DOJ claims Williams took seven trade secrets between April 2022 and June 2025, and one more between June and August 6, 2025. The government alleges Williams made $1.3 million by selling these secrets. As a consequence, the DOJ is seeking to seize property obtained through these alleged crimes.

Reaction, Investigation, and Company Background

The L3Harris spokesperson did not provide a comment. Williams’ attorney, John Rowley, also declined to comment. The FBI and U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia did not respond to comment requests, possibly due to the ongoing government shutdown since October 1. Australian authorities also provided no remarks, citing law enforcement protocols. An arraignment and plea hearing is set for October 29 in Washington, D.C.

In 2018, L3Harris had acquired Azimuth and Linchpin Labs—two sister startups known for zero-day exploit development. The companies merged, forming Trenchant, and supplied hacking tools to the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, which includes the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Earlier in the week, TechCrunch reported that Trenchant was investigating a leak of its hacking tools, with several ex-employees providing information. One former exploit developer said he was falsely accused of leaking tools used to exploit platforms like Google Chrome. This developer insisted he only worked on iOS exploits and lacked access to other platform vulnerabilities. Several sources confirmed his account, saying the company wrongly blamed him. Notably, access to tools was compartmentalized among employees by platform.

It remains unclear if the recent leak investigation at Trenchant is related to the criminal accusation against Williams. Currently, the DOJ National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section is prosecuting the case.

Tags: L3Harris, SHBA, sekrete tregtare, Rusia, Williams, hakerim