By AJ Vicens

Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors have accused a

former executive of a government contractor that provides cyber

intelligence tools to federal agencies of selling trade secrets

to a buyer in Russia for $1.3 million.

In an October 14 filing in U.S. District Court in Washington,

prosecutors said Peter Williams stole eight trade secrets of two

unnamed companies from April 2022 to June 2025, with the intent

to sell those secrets to a Russian-based buyer.

The filing does not identify where Williams worked or the

companies whose trade secrets were allegedly stolen.

But Williams is listed in British business records as

general manager of L3Harris Trenchant from October 2024 until

his resignation on August 21.

The company develops hacking tools that support national

security operations and says it has U.S. government contracts.

It is a subsidiary of defense contractor L3Harris ( LHX ), which

declined to comment.

The prospect of Russia gaining knowledge of hacking tools

used by U.S. and other countries' intelligence services raises

broader questions about potential attacks on federal systems and

opportunities for adversaries to bolster defenses.

A source familiar with the matter said the person in the

British documents is the Peter Williams named in the October 14

filing.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Williams made $1.3 million

from selling the secrets and seek the forfeiture of a

Washington, D.C., house and luxury items including watches and

jewelry, according to the court filing.

TechCrunch, which earlier reported on the case, on Tuesday said

L3Harris Trenchant was investigating a leak of hacking tools.

Reuters could not locate Williams, who is identified in the

UK records as an Australian citizen and in the court filing as a

U.S. resident. Attorneys listed as representing Williams did not

respond to requests for comment Thursday.

An arraignment and plea agreement hearing was set for

October 29.