US prosecutors have charged the former head of a company that is a government contractor providing federal agencies with cyber intelligence tools with selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia for $1.3 million.
Points of attention
- A former US government contractor has been charged with espionage for selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia for $1.3 million.
- The defendant stole eight trade secrets with the intention of passing them on to Russia, potentially increasing the threat to US federal systems.
- The contractor, identified as Peter Williams, allegedly stole trade secrets from two companies between April 2022 and June 2025.
US government contractor spied for Russia
In a lawsuit filed on October 14 in U.S. District Court in Washington, prosecutors said that Peter Williams stole eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies from April 2022 to June 2025 with the intention of selling those secrets to a buyer in Russia.
The lawsuit does not specify where Williams worked, nor does it name the companies whose trade secrets were allegedly stolen.
In British business registers, Williams is listed as CEO of L3Harris Trenchant from October 2024 until his resignation on August 21, 2025.
The British company, which develops hacking tools to support national security operations and claims to have contracts with the US government, is a subsidiary of US defense contractor L3Harris, the newspaper reported.
It is noted that Russia's acquisition of information about hacking tools used by US and other intelligence services poses a threat of potential attacks on federal systems and improves the opportunities for adversaries to strengthen their own defenses.
Federal prosecutors allege that Williams made $1.3 million selling the secrets and are seeking the seizure of a Washington home and luxury items, including watches and jewelry.
According to the online publication TechCrunch, L3Harris Trenchant is currently investigating a “leak of hacking tools.”
Reuters was unable to reach Williams, who is listed as an Australian citizen in British documents and a US resident in the lawsuit, for comment.
A arraignment and plea agreement hearing for Williams is set for Oct. 29.
