Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty, Selling Stolen Trade Secrets, Russian Broker Wednesday — Former General Manager for U.S. Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Trade Secrets to Russian Broker | United States Justice Department.
Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Trade Secrets to Russian Broker Wednesday, Peter Williams, 39, an Australian national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today in connection with selling his employer’s trade secrets to a Russian cyber-tools broker, the Justice Department announced today.Williams pleaded to two counts of theft of trade secrets. Williams sold the trade secrets to a Russian cyber-tools broker that publicly advertises itself as a reseller of cyber exploits to various customers, including the Russian government. Each of the charges carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense. “America’s national security is NOT FOR SALE, especially in an evolving threat landscape where cybercrime poses a serious danger to our citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thank you to all the attorneys who worked so hard to secure this guilty plea.”“Williams betrayed the United States and his employer by first stealing and then selling intelligence-related software to a foreign broker
that touted its ties to Russia and other foreign governments,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to ensuring that insiders who abuse their positions of trust face serious consequences.”“We continue to vigorously investigate those who betray our national security by selling valuable U.S. national security.”According to the facts admitted in connection with the guilty plea, from approximately 2022 through 2025, Williams improperly used his access to the defense contractor’s secure network to steal the cyber exploit components that constituted the trade secrets.Williams resold those components in exchange