Former L3 boss Harris Trenchant has pleaded guilty to selling zero-day vulnerabilities to a Russian broker

Peter Williams, former general manager of defense contractor L3Harris, has pleaded guilty to selling surveillance technology to a Russian intermediary who bought “electronic gadgets,” the US Department of Justice confirmed on Wednesday.

“The materials, which were stolen over a three-year period from the U.S. defense contractor where he worked, consisted of national security-focused software that included at least eight sensitive and protected cyber-exploitation components,” the Justice Department press release issued Wednesday said. “These components were intended to be sold exclusively to the United States government and selected allies.”

TechCrunch previously reported exclusively, citing four former Trenchant employees, that the company was investigating the leak of its hacking tools. Prosecutors now say Williams exploited his access to the company’s “secure network to steal cyber exploitation components.”

Williams heads Trenchant, the division at L3Harris that develops spyware, exploits, and security vulnerabilities in software unknown to its creator. Trenchant sells its surveillance technology to government clients in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Trenchant was formed after L3Harris in 2019 acquired two sister Australian startups, Azimuth and Linchpin Labs, which developed and sold Zero-Days to the Five Eyes alliance of countries.

The Department of Justice said Williams, a 39-year-old Australian citizen residing in Washington, D.C., sold exploits to an unnamed Russian intermediary, who promised Williams millions of dollars in cryptocurrency in exchange. The former general manager of Trenchant allegedly signed contracts with the broker that stipulated an initial payment for the exploit, and periodic payments for “subsequent support.”

Prosecutors did not name the Russian broker to whom Williams sold, but said the broker publicly presents himself as an exploit software vendor to several clients, including the Russian government.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Wednesday that the middleman to whom Williams sold the exploits is part of the “next wave of international arms dealers.” Perrault said Williams’ crimes caused Trenchant more than $35 million in losses.

“Williams betrayed the United States and his employer by stealing and then selling intelligence-related software,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant US Attorney for National Security. He added, “His behavior was deliberate and deceptive, putting our national security at risk for personal gain.”

Sarah Panda, a spokeswoman for L3Harris, declined to comment when contacted by TechCrunch on Wednesday.

Williams’ attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On October 14, the US government charged Williams, known in the industry as “Doggie”, with selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia, without specifying what those trade secrets were or which company he stole them from. According to a document filed in mid-October, Williams earned $1.3 million from the sale of the exploit.

Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets, each of which could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced in January 2026, prosecutors said.

According to Risky Business host and journalist Patrick Gray, Williams is currently under house arrest in the Washington, D.C., area where he lives. Gray said Williams worked for the Australian Signals Directorate, the country’s top intelligence and eavesdropping agency.

When previously contacted by TechCrunch, an ASD spokesperson did not comment on Williams, citing a law enforcement matter.

Last week, TechCrunch reported that Williams had fired Trenchant developer earlier this year, who was suspected of stealing Chrome without days. The former Trenchant employee told TechCrunch that he never had access to these tools, as he was working on iOS Zero-days development. Other former colleagues corroborated his account.

“I know I was made a scapegoat. I was not at fault. It’s very simple,” the exploit developer told TechCrunch. “I never did anything but work for them.”