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Peter Williams, the former general manager of defense contractor L3 Harris, pleaded guilty to selling surveillance technology to a Russian broker that purchased “cyber equipment,” the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Wednesday.
“The material stolen over a three-year period from the US defense contractor where he worked consisted of national security-focused software that included at least eight sensitive and secure cyber-exploitation components,” read DOJ press release Wednesday “these materials were intended for sale exclusively to the US government and selected allies.”
TechCrunch previously reported exclusivelyThe company is investigating a leak of its hacking tools, citing four former Trenchant employees. Prosecutors now say Williams exploited his access to the company’s “secure network to steal cyber exploits.”
Williams leads Trenchant, the division at L3 Harris that develops spyware, exploits and zero-days — security vulnerabilities in software unknown to its creator. Trenchant sells its surveillance technology to government customers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Trenchant was founded in 2019 after L3 Harris acquired two Australian sister startupAzimuth and Linchpin Labs, which developed and sold Zero-Day to the Five Eyes alliance of nations.
The DOJ said Williams, a 39-year-old Australian citizen who lives in Washington, DC, sold the exploit to an unnamed Russian broker, who promised Williams millions of dollars in cryptocurrency in return. The former Trenchant general manager reportedly signed contracts with brokers that called for an initial payment for exploitation and periodic payments for “follow-on” support.
Prosecutors did not name the Russian broker Williams sold to, but said the broker publicly billed itself as a reseller of exploits for several clients, including the Russian government.
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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Wednesday that the broker whom Williams exploited by selling them was part of the “next wave of international arms dealers.” Pirro said Williams’ crimes cost Trenchant more than $35 million.
“Williams betrayed the United States and his employer by first stealing and then selling intelligence-related software,” said US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His conduct was willful and deceptive, compromising our national security for personal gain.”
L3 Harris spokeswoman Sara Banda declined to comment when reached by TechCrunch on Wednesday.
Attorneys for Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
October 14, The US government indicted Williamswho is known in the industry as “Doogie,” sells trade secrets to a buyer in Russia, without specifying what those trade secrets are or which company he stole them from. According to a document filed in mid-October, Williams earned $1.3 million for selling the exploits.
Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets, each of which carries a sentence of 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced in January 2026, prosecutors said.
According to Risky Business host and journalist Patrick GrayWilliams is currently under house arrest in the Washington DC area where he lives. Gray said Williams worked for the Australian Signals Directorate, the country’s top signals intelligence and intelligence agency.
When TechCrunch reached out earlier, an ASD spokesperson would not comment on Williams, citing law enforcement matters.
last week, TechCrunch reported That Williams fired a Trenchant developer earlier this year, who was suspected of stealing Chrome Zero-Day. A former Trenchant employee told TechCrunch that he never had access to those tools, as he worked to develop iOS zero-days. His other former colleagues corroborated his account.
“I know I was a scapegoat. I wasn’t guilty. It’s that simple,” the exploit developer told TechCrunch. “I’ve done absolutely nothing but work my ass off for them.”
