A Defense Department contractor, Gokhan Gun, was apprehended on Friday in the United States, found in possession of numerous highly classified documents he had accessed through his security clearance.
According to New York Times, prosecutors disclosed that Gun was preparing for a trip to Mexico when he was arrested.
Gun, an electrical engineer born in Turkey and residing in a Virginia suburb near Washington, had printed thousands of documents during his employment with the Air Force.
While many of these documents were unclassified, some were “batches of documents from the top secret network,” as described in an 11-page complaint unsealed in a Virginia federal court.
Gun now faces charges for the unlawful acquisition and retention of national defense secrets.
This incident is one of several recent cases involving military personnel and civilian contractors improperly handling classified materials.
For instance, in March, Jack Teixeira, a young member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded guilty to charges of sharing secret intelligence reports online.
Teixeira agreed to a 16-year sentence in exchange for cooperating with authorities.
Authorities are still investigating Gun’s motives for stockpiling such a large volume of documents.
According to a law enforcement official briefed on the case, Gun casually removed the documents from his office in rolled-up wads, carried in plastic shopping bags.
Gun, who frequently travels internationally and owns properties in Virginia, Texas, and Florida, was taken into custody early Friday by FBI agents who arrived at his Falls Church, Virginia home to execute a search warrant.
He was preparing to leave for a fishing trip with friends and was set to board a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at 6:52 a.m.
Agents confronted Gun in his driveway as he awaited a ride share. Among his luggage, they discovered a black backpack containing a top secret document and a list of his security clearances.
The complaint details a pattern of behaviour that prosecutors suggest went well beyond normal work-from-home activities. Over several months, Gun was captured on security cameras printing documents in bulk.
Since beginning his job with the Air Force in mid-2023, Gun printed 256 documents, totaling around 3,400 pages, with many of these printings occurring near the end of the workday, according to investigators.
Earlier this week, Gun reportedly printed more than 406 pages, including 82 documents marked as top secret.
While Gun was permitted to take some work materials home, he downplayed his actions, telling agents that “the classifications might have expired” on many of the documents in his possession, according to the filing.
A search of Gun’s workspace by the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations did not recover any classified documents, prosecutors said.
However, agents discovered stacks of papers in his dining room, some of which were clearly marked top secret. Notably, one document had been printed as recently as Wednesday, contradicting Gun’s assertion that none of the materials he held were currently classified.
A public defender listed as Gun’s attorney in court documents did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gun, who was born in Istanbul, entered the United States in 2001 on an H-1B nonimmigrant work visa for a telecommunications company, according to prosecutors.
He became a lawful permanent resident in 2012 and a naturalized U.S. citizen in July 2021, while retaining his Turkish citizenship.
According to a biography on a trade association website, Gun holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from George Mason University, a master’s degree in engineering from George Washington University, and a doctorate in computer science from Southern Methodist University.
He describes himself as an avid runner, cyclist, soccer player, and a fan of the George Mason Patriots basketball team.
