Australian pleads guilty to stealing trade secrets for Russian broker

An Australian national and former executive at a U.S. defense contractor pleaded guilty this week in Washington to stealing national security software and selling it to a Russian cybertools broker, prosecutors said. Peter Williams, 39, entered guilty pleas in federal court in the District of Columbia to two counts of theft of trade secrets related to the transfer of at least eight cyberexploit components taken from his employer between 2022 and 2025.

According to court documents and statements by the Department of Justice, Williams exploited privileged access at his employer to copy sensitive, government-focused software intended for exclusive use by the United States and allied partners. Prosecutors say he negotiated sales with a Russia-based broker using an encrypted account, entered written contracts promising millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, and transmitted the stolen material via encrypted channels. The buyer publicly advertises itself as a reseller of cyber exploits to a range of customers, including the Russian government, the DOJ said.

Prosecutors said Williams received roughly 1.3 million in proceeds, which he used to purchase high-value items. Federal authorities...