Guilt admitted by former L3Harris exec over peddling trade secrets

TechCrunch reports that former L3Harris General Manager Peter Williams, who led the firm's spyware, exploit, and zero-day development division Trenchant, has entered a guilty plea to two charges of trade secret theft after selling surveillance technology to a Russian buyer.

Williams, also known as Doogie, peddled national security-focused software with eight or more sensitive and protected cyber-exploit components that were only meant for the U.S government and its allies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Such action by Williams was noted by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to have lost Trenchant over $35 million.

"Williams betrayed the United States and his employer by first stealing and then selling intelligence-related software. His conduct was deliberate and deceitful, imperiling our national security for the sake of personal gain," said U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

Williams will be sentenced to a decade-long imprisonment for each of the charges by January.