Overview
- Peter Williams, 39, the former general manager of L3Harris’s Trenchant unit, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of theft of trade secrets after stealing eight cyber‑exploit components between 2022 and 2025.
- Judge Loren AliKhan ordered three years of supervised release and forfeiture of $1.3 million, cryptocurrency, a house, and luxury items, with a restitution hearing set for May 12 to address an estimated $35 million loss.
- Prosecutors and the FBI said the stolen tools were intended for U.S. and allied use and could have enabled access to millions of devices, harming intelligence communities in the United States and Australia.
- Treasury and State designated Operation Zero (Matrix LLC), owner Sergey Zelenyuk, UAE-based Special Technology Services, and associated actors under PAIPA, blocking U.S. dealings to disrupt the exploit-broker network.
- Court filings say Williams executed written contracts that included follow‑on support, transferred the components via encrypted channels, and received cryptocurrency payments totaling at least $1.3 million, with sales described as reaching up to $4 million.