An Australian man living in the United States faces a possible jail sentence after pleading guilty to stealing defence trade secrets from his American employer for a Russian broker.
Peter Williams, 39, entered the plea before the District of Columbia in Washington on Thursday, in relation to two counts of theft of trade secrets.
Court documents, seen by this masthead, allege that Williams intended those secrets to be sold outside the US – “specifically to a buyer based in the Russian Federation” – and were worth about $US1.3 million ($2 million).
Prosecutors said the material was stolen over a three-year period – between 2022 and 2025 – from the American defence contractor where Williams worked. It comprised national security-focused software, including “at least eight sensitive and protected cyber-exploit documents”.
“Those components were meant to be sold exclusively to the US government and select allies,” the US Justice Department said following the guilty plea.
“Williams sold the trade secrets to a Russian cyber-tools broker that publicly advertises itself as a reseller of cyber exploits to various customers, including the Russian government.”
Read the full story by North American correspondent Michael Koziol.
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