Peter Williams pleads guilty to selling cyber exploits, paid in crypto

Peter Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of trade secret theft in Washington after selling sensitive cyber-exploit tools to a Russia-linked broker, with payments made in crypto. Prosecutors say he received about $1.26 million over three years and later spent the funds on luxury goods and real estate.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Williams — an Australian national and U.S. resident — sold eight protected exploit components, including zero-day capabilities developed for the U.S. intelligence community and shared with Five Eyes partners. Contracts tied to the deals promised up to $4 million more.

Prosecutors said related companies suffered losses exceeding $35 million and that Williams continued the activity until July 2025 despite knowing he was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He allegedly routed crypto through anonymized transactions before cashing out, spending over $715,000 on travel, luxury cars, jewelry, and a $1.5 million property down payment.

The government is seeking a nine-year prison sentence, at least $35 million in restitution, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.