A judge has mandated that Peter Williams, a former high-ranking official at L3Harris, must pay $10 million in restitution to the defense contractor. This ruling follows his prior obligation to pay $1.3 million for his role in a severe leak of hacking tools, which has raised significant security concerns for the U.S. and its allies.
Williams, who is 39 years old and an Australian citizen, previously led the hacking and surveillance tech division at L3Harris. He was involved in the unauthorized sale of trade secrets to Operation Zero, a Russian firm linked to the government that specializes in buying and selling cyber exploits. Williams has already been sentenced to over seven years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges.
The theft has reportedly caused losses for L3Harris amounting to as much as $35 million. U.S. prosecutors claimed that Williams' actions not only jeopardized national security but also posed potential risks to millions of devices globally. His lawyers have not commented on the recent restitution order.