Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
Today, the Department of State is sanctioning one individual and two entities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA) in connection with theft of trade secrets from U.S. persons. These are the first designations under PAIPA and are supported by concurrent Department of the Treasury designations. Theft of trade secrets, particularly in relation to sensitive and emerging technologies, poses a serious threat to U.S. national security and economic prosperity. Such theft harms U.S. national security, jobs, companies, and investments, while costing U.S. industry billions of dollars each year.
Today’s designations coincide with an investigation by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation of Australian national Peter Williams, who pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025, to two counts of theft of trade secrets.
Williams stole several proprietary cyber tools from a U.S. company between 2022 and 2025 and sold them to Operation Zero in exchange for millions of dollars paid in cryptocurrencies.
The Trump Administration is committed to using all tools at its disposal to protect Americans from intellectual property theft and cybercrime, which threaten the economic stability and national security of our country.
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to the authorities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (50 U.S.C. 1709) and Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended. For more information on today’s action, please see the Department of State’s Fact Sheet and Department of the Treasury’s press release.
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