Court records reviewed by TechCrunch reveal that the U.S. government has charged a former L3Harris executive with misappropriating trade secrets and selling them to a Russian purchaser.
On October 14, the Justice Department formally accused Peter Williams of taking eight trade secrets from two unidentified companies. This accusation was made in a “criminal information” filing, which, like an indictment, is an official statement of alleged criminal conduct.
The filing does not clarify Williams’ connection to the two companies, the nature of the trade secrets, or the identity of the Russian buyer involved.
TechCrunch has verified that the Williams referenced in the documents—whose specific employer is not listed—is the former general manager of Trenchant, an L3Harris subsidiary that creates hacking and surveillance technology for Western governments, including the U.S.
According to U.K. business filings, Williams assumed the role of Trenchant’s general manager on October 23, 2024, and remained there until August 21, 2025. The court documents state that Williams, an Australian national aged 39, lived in Washington D.C.
Four ex-Trenchant staff members previously informed TechCrunch that Williams, known internally as “Doogie,” had been taken into custody.
A Justice Department spokesperson told TechCrunch on Thursday that Williams is not being held by federal authorities at this time.
The DOJ alleges that Williams took seven trade secrets between April 2022 and June 2025, and an eighth between June and August 6, 2025.
The criminal information document claims Williams earned $1.3 million from selling the trade secrets. As a result, the DOJ is seeking to seize assets that are believed to have been obtained through these alleged offenses.
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L3Harris did not provide a comment in response to inquiries before publication.
Williams’ lawyer, John Rowley, declined to make a statement when reached by TechCrunch on Thursday.
Neither the FBI nor the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where Williams’ case is being handled, responded to repeated requests for comment on Thursday. (Since October 1, the U.S. government has been shut down due to a lapse in federal funding.)
When TechCrunch contacted the FBI in September regarding Williams, the agency declined to comment. The Australian Signals Directorate also declined to comment, stating it was a law enforcement matter.
A hearing for arraignment and plea agreement is set for October 29 in Washington D.C.
Back in 2018, L3Harris purchased Azimuth and Linchpin Labs, two related startups that specialized in zero-day exploits, which later merged to form Trenchant. These companies provided hacking tools to the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance comprising the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Earlier this week, TechCrunch reported exclusively—citing four former Trenchant employees—that the company was probing a breach involving its hacking tools.
A former Trenchant exploit developer told TechCrunch that they were suspected of leaking the tools but denied any involvement.
The ex-developer claimed Trenchant made him a scapegoat for the leaks of tools that could exploit Google Chrome vulnerabilities, asserting he would not have had access to those tools since his work focused on iOS exploits. Three former staffers said Trenchant restricts employee access based on the platforms they work on.
Sources confirmed the developer’s account, stating that the company wrongly blamed the former employee.
It remains uncertain whether the leak investigation at Trenchant this year is connected to the federal charges against Williams.
The DOJ’s National Security Division, specifically its Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, is prosecuting the case against Williams.
