US Court Sentences Australian Man to 7 Years for Selling Hacking Tools to Russia

U.S. prosecutors described Peter Williams’ crime as not just theft, but also a national security offence.

The E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse, for the US District Court and US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is seen in Washington, DC, on Nov. 3, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S. district court has sentenced a 39-year-old Australian man to seven years and three months in prison for selling his employer’s trade secrets to a Russian cyber-tools broker.

Peter Williams, the former general manager of Trenchant—the cybersecurity division of U.S. defense contractor L3Harris—was accused of betraying the United States by using his position to steal cyber tools known as “exploits for zero-day vulnerabilities” and transferring them to adversary Russia.