Peter Williams, a former executive of Trenchant, L3Harris’ cyber division, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., after pleading guilty to stealing and selling sensitive cyber-exploit trade secrets to a Russian broker.
Williams admitted his actions caused the defense contractor an estimated $35 million in losses. The judge also ordered three years of supervised release and the forfeiture of a $1.3 million money judgment, cryptocurrency, a house, and luxury items.
According to U.S. authorities, the defendant stole several proprietary cyber-exploit tools from his employer between 2022 and 2025.
“Williams entered into multiple written contracts with the Russian broker, which involved payment for the initial sale of the components and additional periodic payments for follow-on support,” prosecutors said.
“He transferred the eight components and trade secrets to the Russian broker through encrypted means. This cyber-tools broker publicly advertises itself as a reseller of cyber exploits to various customers, including the Russian government,” they added.
In a parallel action, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Operation Zero and several associated individuals and entities for their role in acquiring and distributing cyber tools harmful to U.S. national security.
