An Australian national who worked for a U.S. defense contractor has pleaded guilty to selling stolen national-security software to a Russian cyber-tools broker that publicly advertises ties to the Russian government, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Peter Williams, 39, admitted to stealing eight classified cyber-exploit components over three years and selling them to the broker in exchange for cryptocurrency. The stolen software, valued at $35 million, was designed exclusively for use by the U.S. government and its allies.
“America’s national security is not for sale — especially in an evolving threat landscape where cybercrime poses a serious danger to our citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Williams “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.”
According to prosecutors, from 2022 through 2025 Williams used his access to a secure network at the unnamed defense contractor to steal trade-secret components and resell them through encrypted channels. He signed multiple written contracts with the Russian broker, receiving payments in cryptocurrency and spending the proceeds on “high-value items,” investigators said.
“This conduct caused over $35 million of loss to a company in the District of Columbia and allowed non-allied foreign cyber actors to obtain sophisticated cyber exploits,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, calling such brokers “the next wave of international arms dealers.”
FBI Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Williams “placed greed over freedom and democracy … giving Russian cyber actors an advantage in their campaign to victimize U.S. citizens and businesses.”
Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the financial gain from the crime.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and prosecuted by attorneys from the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.