Australian man living in Washington DC pleads guilty to selling trade secrets to Russian broker

An Australian man pleaded guilty in US court on Wednesday to stealing trade secrets from his employer and selling them to a Russian cyber-tools broker. The US Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Peter Williams, 39, an Australian living in Washington DC, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of the trade secrets. The agency said Williams stole the material over a three-year period while working for a US defence contractor, including information on national security-focused software. That software was meant to be sold exclusively to the US government and its allies. But the justice department said the Russian broker Williams sold the secrets to advertises itself as a reseller of cyber-tools to customers, including the Russian government. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Each of the two charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to US$250,000. The US government said it would also seek the forfeiture of property in the amount of US$1.3m (A$2m). “America’s national security is NOT FOR SALE, especially in an evolving threat landscape where cybercrime poses a serious danger to our citizens,” Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, said in the department’s statement. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An official had told the ABC it was aware of the charges and stood available to offer consular assistance “should it be requested”. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) said it was aware of reports of the case, saying they were taken “very seriously” but that it would not comment on individual cases. “Defence has layered security controls and procedures to protect our people, information, capabilities and bases,” a spokesperson said. John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general for national security in the US, said Williams had “betrayed the United States and his employer by first stealing and then selling intelligence-related software to a foreign broker that touted its ties to Russia and other foreign governments”. “His conduct was deliberate and deceitful, imperiling our national security for the sake of personal gain,” Eisenberg said in the department’s statement. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to ensuring that insiders who abuse their positions of trust face serious consequences.” US officials added the stolen secrets cost Williams’ employer more than US$35m in losses and allowed “non-allied foreign cyber-actors to obtain sophisticated cyber exploits that were likely used against numerous unsuspecting victims”. Court documents filed in the US district court claim Williams stole the trade secrets between April 2022 and June 2025 using his employer’s secure network. He then resold the secrets in exchange for the promise of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, the justice department said. He then used the funds to buy himself what was described as “high value items”. Court documents filed by US prosecutors sought the forfeiture of a house in Washington DC, multiple watches, jewellery and designer clothing and the proceeds of bank accounts in the US and Australia. Williams’ sentencing hearing will take place on 27 January.