DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Department of Defense civilian employee pleads guilty to taking classified documents

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Dissent

Today’s reminder of the insider threat, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A civilian electrical engineer for the Department of Defense pled guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.

According to court documents, Gokhan Gun, 51, of Falls Church, was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and is a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States. Through his employment, Gun possessed a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and received training on the proper handling and storage of classified information.

Beginning in May 2024, Gun, without permission, removed at least five classified documents from his Department of Defense workspace with the intent to retain them at his primary residence, which was not an approved facility for the storage of classified information.

On Aug. 9, Gun was scheduled to depart the United States on a morning flight to Mexico. However, FBI agents observed a ride share service arrive at the defendant’s residence and approached Gun. Agents observed inside Gun’s residence a backpack inside which they located a Top Secret document and a notebook with handwritten notes that mirrored a Top Secret report. In the dining room, agents located additional classified documents, one of which Gun printed on August 7, 2024, just two days before his scheduled departure.

Gun is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 and faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Supervisory Official Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Phillip E. Bates, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Lee M. Russ, Executive Director of Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) Office of Special Projects, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff accepted the plea.

The FBI and AFOSI Office of Special Projects are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Adam L. Small and Chantelle Dial for NSD’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

Updated March 20, 2025

Related posts:

  • KS: FBI Employee Indicted for Illegally Removing National Security Documents, Taking Material to Her Home
  • Former CIA Analyst Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison for Unlawfully Transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information
  • U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Pleads Guilty to Charges of Conspiracy to Obtain and Disclose National Defense Information, Export Control Violations and Bribery
  • “I’m Not Pro-Russia and I’m Not a Terrorist!” —- InfraGard and Airbus Hacker “USDoD” Unveils His New Campaigns
Category: Government SectorInsider

Post navigation

← Data breach at stalkerware SpyX affects close to 2 million, including thousands of Apple users
Security Researcher Comments on HIPAA Security Rule →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Breaches have consequences (sometimes)
  • Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty for Hacking a Non-Profit
  • British national “IntelBroker” charged with causing $25 million in damages; U.S. seeks his extradition from France
  • France issues press statement about arrest of ShinyHunters members
  • Patients Allege Home Delivery Pharmacy Failed to Timely Notify Them of Data Breach
  • Hackers breach Norwegian dam, open valve at full capacity
  • Patient death at London hospital linked to cyber attack on NHS
  • ShinyHunters and team members arrested in France (2)
  • Texas Enacts Liability Shield From Punitive Damages for Certain Small Businesses That Adopt Cybersecurity Programs
  • Dublin ETB fined €125,000 for data protection breaches

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours
  • Sky Views Personal Data as a Potential Weapon in IPTV Piracy War
  • Florida Used a Nationwide Surveillance Camera Network 250 Times To Aid in Immigration Arrests
  • Federal Court Strikes Down HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule
  • The Markup caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
  • Privacy in the Big Sky State: Montana’s Consumer Privacy Law Gets Amended
  • UK Passes Data Use and Access Regulation Bill

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.