Support truly
independent journalism
A Defense Department contractor is accused of printing over 150 pages of classified government documents marked “top secret,” then heading for Mexico, according to a federal court case unsealed in Virginia.
Gokhan Gun, an electrical engineer who works with the Air Force, was arrested Friday morning as a ride-hailing driver was about to take him to the airport for a flight to Puerto Vallarta, The Washington Post reports.
In court on Friday, Gun appeared confused, and told the judge, “This is a surprise, sir, for me,” according to the paper. His public defender told the court he wasn’t a flight risk and was heading to Mexico for a fishing trip.
A search of Gun’s home revealed 155 pages of top secret documents, among the most sensitive state secrets, stacked in his dining room and stored inside a backpack, according to court documents.
There was no word on what was contained in the documents.
He’s charged with the unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, and could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Independent has contacted Gun’s public defender for comment.
Since starting with the Air Force in 2020, Gun printed a total of around 3,400 pages of documents, a mix of classified and non-classified materials, according to The New York Times.
He carried the documents out of his office in rolled-up wads in plastic shopping bags, a law enforcement source told the paper.
In a voluntary interview with the FBI, the contractor denied taking anything classified back to his home and suggested materials found with such classifications might be expired.
Earlier this week, Gun printed 406 pages, including 82 marked top secret, according to the complaint.
In March, Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty in federal court to leaking highly classified military documents on the social media platform Discord, including assessments of the war in Ukraine.
