A director at a company that sells computer vulnerabilities has been charged with stealing secrets to sell to an unspecified buyer in Russia, according to a court document and people familiar with the matter.
Peter Williams was accused of stealing seven trade secrets from two unidentified companies with the intention of selling them to the Russian buyer, according to the Justice Department. Williams is a former director of the Trenchant arm of Melbourne, Florida-based L3Harris Technologies Inc., an aerospace and defense technology company, according to a UK government document. Williams is a 39-year-old Australian national who resigned on Aug. 21, according to the document.
The alleged incidents occurred between April 2022 and August 2025, according to his criminal information, a charging document that typically precedes a guilty plea. Electronic court records show that he is scheduled for an arraignment and plea agreement hearing on Oct. 29 in Washington federal court. Trenchant and L3Harris aren’t accused of any wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Williams didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors are seeking a $1.3 million forfeiture from Williams equal to the profits allegedly made from the theft. The document against Williams lists his home, 22 luxury and replica watches, several pieces of high-end jewelery, and all the funds in his seven bank and cryptocurrency accounts. Authorities also seized a Louis Vuitton handbag and two Moncler jackets.
A representative for L3Harris declined to comment.
Trenchant supports national security operations and is a “world authority on cyber capabilities, operating in the fields of computer network operations and vulnerability research,” according to L3Harris’ website. “Much of our work is neither public nor publicized.” Companies such as Trenchant sell information on computer security flaws known as “zero-days” vulnerabilities because they were previously unknown and cybersecurity workers have had no days to prepare to fix them. Zero days can be worth millions of dollars and are often purchased by intelligence and defense agencies.
The company began in 2018 with the acquisition and merger of two Australian vulnerability research and exploit development firms called Azimuth Security and Linchpin Labs.
Photo: Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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