A former executive at defense contractor L3Harris has been accused by the U.S. government of stealing trade secrets and selling them to a buyer in Russia, according to court documents obtained by DailyTech.
Peter Williams, a former general manager at Trenchant, a division of L3Harris, is alleged to have stolen eight trade secrets from two unnamed companies, as per the Department of Justice’s “criminal information” document.
The document does not disclose Williams’ specific relationship with the companies, the nature of the trade secrets, or the identity of the Russian buyer.
Williams, an Australian citizen residing in Washington D.C., worked at Trenchant from October 23, 2024, until August 21, 2025, according to U.K. business records.
The DOJ claims that Williams made $1.3 million from selling the trade secrets and seeks to seize his property acquired through these alleged crimes.
An arraignment and plea agreement hearing for Williams is scheduled for October 29 in Washington D.C.
In 2018, L3Harris acquired Azimuth and Linchpin Labs, which later merged to form Trenchant, a company that developed hacking tools for government use.
DailyTech previously reported that Trenchant was investigating a leak of its hacking tools, with a former employee being suspected but denying involvement.
It remains unclear if the current leak investigation at Trenchant is connected to the allegations against Williams.
