The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally accused Peter Williams, a former executive at defense contractor L3Harris, of stealing eight trade secrets and selling them to an alleged buyer in Russia. The DOJ filed a “criminal information” document, a formal accusation similar to an indictment, on October 14, though it did not specify the two companies the secrets were stolen from, the nature of the information, or the name of the Russian buyer. TechCrunch, however, confirmed that the Williams named is the former general manager of Trenchant, an L3Harris division known for developing surveillance and hacking tools for Western governments.
Williams, a 39-year-old Australian citizen who resided in Washington, D.C., served as Trenchant’s general manager from October 23, 2024, until August 21, 2025, according to U.K. business records. He was known internally at the company as “Doogie.” The DOJ alleges that Williams stole seven of the trade secrets between April 2022 and June 2025, with the eighth being taken between June and August 6, 2025. This timeline mostly precedes and encompasses his brief tenure leading the Trenchant division.
According to the court document, Williams allegedly made $1.3 million from the sale of the trade secrets. Consequently, the DOJ is seeking to forfeit property derived from his alleged crimes. Despite earlier reports from former Trenchant employees that Williams had been arrested, a DOJ spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that he is not currently in federal custody. L3Harris, Williams’ attorney John Rowley, the FBI, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia all declined or did not respond to requests for comment regarding the ongoing case.
The difficulties in obtaining comments were exacerbated by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown following a lapse in federal funding. Both the Australian Signals Directorate and the FBI had previously declined to comment on the matter when contacted by TechCrunch in September. The lack of detailed information in the public court document, combined with the silence from involved parties, leaves many specifics about the case—including the nature of the sensitive information—unconfirmed.
The legal proceedings are moving forward, with an arraignment and plea agreement hearing for Peter Williams scheduled for October 29 in Washington, D.C. This upcoming date is expected to shed more light on the allegations and potentially on the two companies whose trade secrets were allegedly compromised and sold to a foreign entity.
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